The Red Wolf
by MindTrash
Summary: Sakura is forced to wear the red hooded cloak her mother made her, and catches the eye of the mountain dweller, Gaara. However, she has a gut feeling that he may be a predator in 'sheeps clothing'.
1. Chapter 1

The sky was grey between the tall trees, and a gentle fog had blanketed the forest during the midday. The air was chilled, but her body had grown hot from trekking through the tough terrain. She knew her white girlish frock was going to get dirty, but she didn't rightly care. She only wore it when she was to visit the Lady Tsunade, the wise witch hidden in the mountains, other than that she hated the damn thing.

Why she had to dress in these frilly childish dresses when visiting was beyond her, especially since she was an adult, but her mother forced her to wear them along with a hooded cloak every single time.

Red, not a very smart color, it would be better if she were draped in green to blend in. It was idiocy at it's finest.

Sakura laid now at the base of a tree to relax, picking the small blue flowers that seemed to pop out amongst the greenish grey scenery. They smelled nice too, so she made a crown of them along with some smaller white ones, and placed the circlet on her head. A few flower heads had scattered along her dress, but she was too lazy to brush them off. She looked at her basket of food wondering what her mother had packed with her, and the warm smell of bread had her beginning to drift.

The basket was being pulled from her arms, shaking her awake with a start. She swatted at whatever it was that had tried taking it, but when skin brushed skin she realized that she had hit another person. Her eyes fluttered open to stare down a redheaded man about her age, dressed in a ragged black poet shirt, and black trousers that ended at his knees. Other than that his pale feet were bare.

The redhead rested on his haunches, his knees bent and legs balancing on the balls of his feet, crouching like an animal. He was intimidating as he had no eyebrows, and a thick darkness formed around his frightening cyan eyes. They were ghostly in appearance, and were striking amongst his crimson hair. Something was written on his forehead too- the kanji character for love? It was strange.

"Forgive my rudeness; I was just hungry, and something smelled too delicious to pass up." The man spoke with a naturally wispy voice, his breath coming out sensually with each word. "Are you alone all the way out here?"

Sakura almost didn't want to answer him, as her gut was screaming at her to run. The way he stared at her was as if he was starving, yet perfectly content at the same time. Yet his eyes held a haunting glow that left her entranced.

"Yes. I'm going to visit my mentor..." The pinkette adjusted her frilly dress awkwardly as she attempted in vain to cover her knees, she was trying to avoid the hungry stare that followed her frame up and down.

"I see, I assume you've heard of the red wolf? You should be more careful when choosing to sleep in the woods." The redhead licked his lips for a moment as if he were anticipating something, and those freshly wetted lips held her captive with intrigue.

"I've heard of it. The wolf that eats travelers by tricking them. Well, good luck to any wolves that try to eat me." Breaking out of her daze Sakura pulled out a sharp knife from her basket, and did a few finger tricks with it; allowing the shining blade to twirl in her hand. "I'll skin them if they try anything, and wear their fur as a new cloak-"

"How very brave of you!" The man chuckled in a charming way, but it still didn't ease her nerves. If anything it sounded mocking, like she were as harmless as a kitten. "Remind me to be careful around you, huntress."

The way he said his words was mouth watering, something about him made her excited as well as afraid.

"Yes, you're just as much of a threat. No offense." She tried smirking before putting the knife back in the basket in an attempt to show calmness, but his head merely tilted with amusement.

"None taken, I awoke you with theft, I am certainly not very trustworthy." He returned the smirk two fold, and for some reason she thought of him doing more than just trying to steal from her. Perhaps it was the way his eyes would dart from her basket to the showing skin on her legs. "If you could spare me a taste, I would be very grateful."

At first she flushed at the request, but then realized that he had meant the food in her basket. How embarassing, to think of him asking outright to 'taste' her was a ridiculous notion, not even the most seasoned of womanizers would be so bold. He seemed seductive in nature though, so she didn't beat herself up too bad over assuming his dark intentions. Reaching into the basket she pulled out an apple for him, and although he seemed dissapointed he took it nonetheless.

"Much obliged." With a half grin he took a bite into the red fruit, flashing his fangs before they sunk into the flesh. The white beyond the skin reminded her of an animal taking a bite into a person, only the colors were switched. There was no blood coming from the apple either, only juice. "You seem hungry as well, would you like to share?"

He held out the apple for her, and as if in a trance she took a bite of it while he held it in his hand. His lips parted for a moment in surprise, but quickly took on a devilish grin as she shyly pulled away after lapping at the juice that clung to her lips.

"You must like apples a lot-"

"I really do. They are convenient, filling, tasty, and refreshing." The pinkette blinked out of her reverie before moving to stand. He stood with her, following her movements up until her foot slipped off of a thick root. With quick reflexes he caught her arm, and with more strength than she suspected he righted her balance. His touch was hot enough to make her flush.

With his hand gripping tightly around her soft bicep he stared her down, not even looking away as he took another sensual bite of his apple. He chewed slowly, and his gaze turned hypnotizing as he swallowed back the juicy treat.

"What's your name?" The redhead practically purred, and she found herself unable to look away from his penetrating eyes. He was so frightening, yet so incredibly handsome. She almost felt like leaning forward as he licked his lips of any sweet flavor left on them

"Sakura." She said in a small voice, he looked positively smug over it like he had won a great prize in a complex game.

"Sakura... such a beautiful tree." He let go of her arm, leaving behind a burning tingle where it had been before. She touched the area curiously, wondering why his touch gave her such a strange sensation. "I am called Gaara."

"Gaara..." Sakura repeated with a roll of her tongue like a spiritual chant, making the redhead smile with narrowed eyes as he retraced her curvaceous figure.

"I like the way you say it. It sounds so much sweeter coming from your lips than it does my own." Gaara reached towards her to pluck a flower head off of her shoulder. She was too entranced that she couldn't startle even if she wanted to, she felt like a doe trapped in the jaws of a pale panther. He was acting quite familiar with her, and she couldn't decide if she liked that or not as it made her flesh burn while her heart raced in a rabbit fashion.

"I have to go." The pinkette shook her head, her medium long pink hair brushing into her face. Her instincts were finally grabbing the reigns in an attempt to get her in flight. "I'm very late-"

"I can escort you if you like? I know these woods quite well." The redhead took a casual step away from her, and it eased her nerves a bit. Suddenly he seemed less threatening, and his tone felt trustworthy; as if he were a completely different person.

Why was she even considering it? Her intuition was screaming at her to get away from him, yet her rational mind was trying to defend him too. He was obviously trying to get something from her.

'He probably just wants a free meal.' She snorted inwardly as she coaxed herself, coming to terms with that excuse in able to bend to his powerful will.

"Are you still hungry?" Sakura asked, watching him slowly nod as that narrowed gaze returned.

"Always-" Gaara began to follow her frame with his eyes once more, but she interjected the gesture to try and reestablish normality between them.

"Okay, well, you can guide me to Tsunade's house then. I'll make some stew for you as payment." She grinned at her brilliant idea, and even more as his eyes blinked owlishly at the offer making him seem innocent and curious.

"Eat food... in your home?" He wandered a bit closer to her, but his body language proved that he was just invested in her offer rather than trying to get anything else out of her.

"Well it's not my home, but Tsunade likes company so it shouldn't be a problem. Are you fine with stew?" Sakura started walking ahead of him in able to get his eyes off of her front, and like an excited puppy he began to follow.

"With cooked meat-?"

"How else would you eat meat in a stew?" She snorted at his question, and finally made her way back to the odd trail that led to her mentor's abode. He padded after her quickly, coming up to heel by her side.

"I... don't eat like normal people. I apologize if that's strange." The redhead mumbled for a moment, and it was obvious that he had grown embarassed by the question. She didn't want him to feel bad for his innocent queries.

'He seems like one of those 'wild' folk, I bet he was raised in these woods far away from other people...'

"It's okay, I like different foods too. Like fish, grilled fish is really tastey-"

"Birds are delicious also." Gaara stated proudly as he walked. His steps were so attuned to the forest floor that his footfalls hardly made a sound.

'He's probably a really great hunter.'

"Do you hunt?" Growing hungry over the talk of food she reached into the basket to pull out two pieces of salted jerky. His eyes stared at the meat, and before he could even ask she handed it over to him.

"Yes, I hunt many things, and it depends on what I'm hungry for. Nothing escapes my clutches when I desire it." The redhead twisted the jerky around in his long fingers inspecting it thoroughly. "Salted overcooked meat?"

"Dehydrated meat, it's very tough but its tastey, and doesn't spoil." Sakura had to remind herself that this man had probably rarely had salt let alone jerky, so she was patient with him.

Gaara took an experimental bite, finding it difficult to rip off a piece even with his sharp canines. Eventually he did, and he chewed on the piece quizzically for a long while.

"So what do you think?" The pinkette watched as he chewed it thoroughly before gulping it down. He stared at the meat curiously before turning his ghostly sights back on her.

"Tough, but flavorful." The redhead ran his gaze over her once more before smiling. "However, I am particular to sweeter meats. Young lambs, little piglets, the occasional fawn-"

"It seems like you enjoy baby animals, that's a bit dark don't you think?" Sakura interrupted him, finding herself disturbed by content of the conversation. He simply laughed, cracking a fanged grin before turning around to walk backwards. His feral eyes watched her take her careful steps, while his reversed ones were second nature.

"They're more succulent, the tender meat has barely been used, and falls right off the bone. Biting into their necks is rather entertaining as well-"

"Why would you ever do something like that? Those poor animals!" The pinkette grimaced while her empathy made her sick. She imagined a man biting into her neck, only to snap it unceremoniously. He chuckled darkly before turning forward, his hands casually behind his head.

"Because they are prey, and I am a predator." The tone turned serious for a moment, and his arms began to drape at his sides. "Which one are you?"

Sakura fell silent. She had never been asked such a question before, especially from a stranger. Which one was she? What separated predators from prey? Was there something preying on her?

Was this man preying on her in some way?

"I don't really know, I don't want to be either one. I just wish for harmony-"

"You eat meat like a predator, but you are cautious like prey." Gaara seemed to answer for her, leaving her intrigued. "I suppose the question to ask would be whether you would fight or not if you were caught in the jaws of a beast. Would it be futile? Could you succeed?"

The redhead turned to face her once more, stopping dead in his tracks. The setting sun peaking through the clouds hit his features from the side so harshly that his eyes looked to be a bright shade of green, rather than the usual haunting cyan. The light cut through his corneas to electrify his irises, leaving her breathless for many reasons. He looked so threatening, but also so incredibly exotic. Like a wild animal you wanted to just reach out and pet even though you know they will bite off your fingers.

As the visual of him biting at her flesh filled her mind she quickly shook it away remembering that he was simply a man, nothing more. His expression changed to intrigue when she refused to answer him

"Are you imagining it? Being eaten?-"

"I don't like thinking about people eating me." Sakura tried scoffing, but a brilliant smile broke out on his sunlit features.

"I never said anything about people eating each other." Gaara chuckled knowingly, and stared at her with unblinking eyes even when assaulted by the harsh setting sun. Her flush had him crooning at her suggestively, which only made it worsen. "Perhaps you do desire to be eaten, just not in the way that we were initially discussing-"

"I have no desire at all, and I never will!" The pinkette went to stomp past him, kicking leaves and branches out of her way in a flurry before his large hands grasped her wrist. She turned to him wide eyed, and felt far too close to him to be considered safe.

"Stop, I meant no ill will. I was merely teasing." Gaara spoke in an authoritative tone, like that of an alpha. She shivered under his burning touch once more before his hand sensually slipped away from her skin in a fluid motion. Eventually he relaxed his demeanor for her to bring her comfort. "Let's continue, it will be dark soon so we shouldn't dally. We don't want you to get devoured by the red wolf do we?"

"Hmph! Well I'm sure the red wolf would be better company!" She moved around him in a hurry, more because of the fact that his words could make her warm all over, and that frightened her. She could hear his soft chuckling as he followed behind her.

"Be careful what you wish for." He called to her back, and it made her so nervous that she picked up her pace towards the large hill.

They arrived at the small cabin during a hour of twilight, and Sakura sighed knowing that she'd either have to walk home in the dark or spend the night.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite student!" The blonde busty woman dressed in a relaxed green dress peaked out of the window with a bright smile. The pinkette waltzed over casually, but Gaara seemed to be cautious of his surroundings. "Ah, you seemed to have picked up a gentleman caller-"

"I just met him! He's here because he's hungry, not because he's looking for a wife!" Sakura shouted defensively before hurrying up the steps while the blonde had a hearty laugh over the matter. The redhead seemed to be wary of entering the humble wooden abode, so the pinkette turned to call for him once she was through the doorway. "Come on, Gaara. You can enter, no need to be shy."

With an owlish expression he quickly followed, sniffing the air as he entered. She closed the door behind them gently, but still saw every muscle in his body tense. When she finally passed him to go into the small living room she tried giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, but it only made him tense more.

"You shouldn't just feed strange boys, Sakura." Tsunade scolded her student, but the pinkette merely waved her off as she danced past her mentor.

"Pfff, it's fine. He offered to guard me from 'wolves' so I'm making him some stew." Sakura began to bustle about the small kitchen, preparing a cauldron of boiling water over the fire. She sorted through her basket, pulling out different vegetables to prepare for the stock. "It'll take a while, Gaara. Please be patient for me."

"Of course, I don't mind waiting." Gaara answered her as calm as could be, but he was staring suspiciously at literally everything in the cabin. Tsunade noticed this, and smiled devilishly before grabbing him by the elbow. To Sakura's surprise he did not recoil at the touch of her teacher.

"Gaara, is it? Come sit with me a while, and help me tie off these herbs." With a few tugs he was finally coaxed over, and sat down on the rug with her next to the fire. She handed him a ball of twine, and a basket of white sage.

They all stayed relatively quiet as they worked, and within a half hour Gaara had finished his basket of sage. When garlic was placed in front of him he crinkled his nose in disgust.

"Eh? Don't like that one?" Tsunade snickered before handing him the basket of lavender instead. He instantly soothed, picking up the basket to sniff at it curiously. "That's lavender. It soothes the body and mind."

"I kind of want to roll in it..." The redhead murmured, and the giggles he got from the women around him quickly broke out into full laughs. His head whipped between the two suspiciously, obviously not understanding what he did wrong.

"I've never heard that one before! But hey, you do what you like!" Tsunade patted him on the shoulder. For a moment he looked at her hand startled, but then relaxed as he thumbed at the lavender in his palm. "Not a touchy-feely person I see-"

"I've been injured by many hands. It's not easy being a-" He stopped himself from finishing his sentence, and stared at the herbs in his grasp.

"You don't have to be ashamed of it, as far as I'm concerned I'm one of you." The blonde smiled gently for him, and his look of shock was one for the history books. "Mountain folk are good people, and I like it far better here than down there with those city idiots-"

"Excuse you, milady!" Sakura barked as she threw in more ingredients, gaining a laugh from her mentor.

"Oh, whatever! You want to live up here too." The blonde snickered as she finished off her last string of garlic. "You enjoy hermitage just as much as I do-"

"I just like the trees. That's all. Other than that I actually enjoy helping people." The pinkette brushed off her hands, allowing the stew to simmer she took her place next to them on the floor.

"Save it for the animals, they are far more noble then humans are." Tsunade argued. Gaara simply sat there studying the two with interest.

"I don't know about that, I hear the red wolf isn't noble at all." Sakura went to pick up a piece of lavender, accidentally brushing the redhead's hand. He bristled slightly, though whether it was her touch or the topic was debatable. "He likes to snatch up little girls, I hear-"

"More than just little girls. It's everyone. There's no discrimination to what he hunts." Gaara refused to make eye contact, but continued tying off bundles of lavender.

"That's weird, I heard he preferred girls." The pinkette eyed him curiously, intrigued that he knew much more on the subject. His lips went into a thin line for a moment before he spoke his thoughts.

"The villagers say that to keep their daughters from playing in the woods. I don't blame them, its dangerous for a child." He sounded a bit grumpy about it, but that only served to pique her interest more.

"Alright, but even the older ones are told to stay away too, out of fear of being eaten by the wolf-"

"If you wanted to have private moment with a boy where would you go?" Gaara gave her a sideways glance, and the topic surprisingly made her blush.

"I don't know, I've never had a 'private moment' with a boy." Sakura huffed while he began to smirk.

"If you knew the woods were safe do you think you would run off into them for a romantic rendezvous?" The redhead raised his naked brows at her, his grin growing as she began to flush a deeper shade. A few snickers came from Tsunade as well. "It's parents trying to protect their daughter's virtue, a twisted lie to keep them from going where watchful eyes can't see."

"Well, I'm out here aren't I?" The pinkette argued before watching him slow his pace. He was thinking of a retort, or holding one back. She decided to stress her point. "You don't see me rolling around in the leaves with a guy-"

"No, you just do it by yourself." At first he seemed to think nothing of his comment, but as a thick awkward silence fell over her his eyes turned her way curiously.

"What do you mean by that?" Her pink brows furrowed. With a low chuckle, Tsunade pushed herself up from the floor with her prepped herbs, and started to hang them around the room to dry out. His ghostly eyes narrowed in confusion to her question.

"You were asleep in the woods today, I found you lying amongst the flowers..." Gaara blinked a few times before tilting his head. "Did you think I meant something else?"

Sakura flushed a deep red at her mistake, she had unfortunately let on more than she ever wanted anyone to know with just a few words. As his eyes began to widen, and his expression formed into intrigue she instantly felt herself going into a shameful spiral.

"No! I knew what you meant!" She tried saving herself with a forced laugh. "I just thought you were teasing me for sleeping in the woods, that's all!"

The pinkette hurriedly gathered her herbs to join Tsunade in hanging them up, trying her best to ignore the redhead.

"Do you fall asleep in the woods often?" His tone was leaning on teasing, and she knew that he was talking about something completely different than just sleeping.

Perhaps she could beat him at his own game.

"I can't really say that I do, how about you? I'm sure you love to sleep outside." Sakura pulled out a wooden bowl, finding the stew to be finished. She filled it generously before bringing it over to him. "Perhaps you do it in a cave?"

"Caves aren't so bad, not when you can lay on a plush bed of fur." Gaara took the bowl with a smirk that quickly changed into curiosity. "It's... water... with meat and vegetables?"

The pinkette looked at him dumbly for a moment before remembering that he wasn't accustomed to normal cooking.

"Yeah, it's really good! And very nutritious, I think you'll like it a lot." She smiled gently at him, and swore she saw some color touch his cheeks.

"Sorry, I'm not used to cooked food-." The redhead's eyes widened for a moment, as if he let a little fact about him slip again.

'He really must live in a cave... not even a house... poor thing.'

"Forgive me Gaara, there's no reason to be embarassed. If you end up liking it perhaps you can come over when I visit again, and I'll cook something even more delicious for you-"

"Speaking of visiting, are you spending the night? It's getting dark outside." Tsunade pointed out the window as she got herself a bowl. Sakura gave a stressful groan.

"My mother is going to kill me, but I think I'll have too. No offense to the 'red wolf' but I don't actually want to get attacked tonight-"

"I can guide you, if you like." Gaara murmured softly, and sipped cautiously at the hot liquid. His face quickly changed to interest as he took another taste.

"Really?! You can traverse the woods in the dark?" She sat down next to him, and began to eat her meal while waiting anxiously for his answer. He finally nodded before swallowing another gulp of stew.

"I know this forest like the back of my hand, and I know when predators are around too. You'll be safe with me." The redhead gave her a smile that she felt she could trust, so she nodded her head happily in agreement.

'He's so useful! Now I don't have to get my ass chewed anymore, thank god.'

Sakura ate her stew happily, completely in her own little world.

Gaara also ate contentedly, only his eyes never left her for the entirety of the meal.

\- ... - ... - ...

**AN: I have a few chapters for this story so far, and have noooo clue where it's going, but the theme is too wonderful to ignore! Also, be warned, everything I write eventually leads to smut and/or "citrus" so be prepared for that. Be sweet and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Warning, graphic sexual content. **

The path was far darker than she thought it would be, especially without a torch or lantern. He claimed that the light would only hurt his vision, and she trusted that he knew what he was doing. However she couldn't see a damn thing, so her hands were on his shoulders gripping for dear life.

However, now that her vision was gone she could touch things with more intensity, and his shoulders felt more muscular than they looked.

'Hoo boy, Sakura. Slow down, he's not exactly a man you can bring home to your mother-'

"Watch out for these roots here." He warned a little too late as her foot got caught up in them. Luckily he was right there to grab onto, but she had slipped down his back while holding desperately to his waist. With her face literally on his back she finally caught his scent; cedar and fur.

The fur smell wasn't offensive like a dog or weasel, it was actually a clean smell. It was strange, yet also comforting. He turned around in her arms with a snicker, but she continued to hold on due to the fact that she couldn't see her feet to even try to snake out her foot.

"Here-" Gaara put his hands around her waist to guide her down to the forest floor. His palms practically enveloped her with their size, his long yet elegant fingers reached partway up her ribcage. Disappointment was apparent when his hands left her frame to mess with the foliage trapping her. She could barely see his shadow as he fiddled with the root around her ankle.

A cool breeze blew through the forest, and she felt a wave of anxiety rush through her as it filled out the skirt of her dress. As the fabric attempted to lift off she quickly slammed her hands over it to keep it in place.

"I'm sure if you were alone that wouldn't be an issue for you." The redhead joked, but she didn't find it funny in the least. With a flustered scoff she turned her head away from him, although it didn't really matter as everywhere she turned it was pitch black.

"I bet you lay in wait for pretty girls like me, and when we're most vulnerable you attack-!"

"Maybe I do, whose to say?" The sly smile in his voice was obvious, and it made her even more bitter about the situation.

"I knew it. You're a pervert." The pinkette huffed right before her ankle came loose, and she was more than eager to stand back up. She brushed the dirt off her dress, then waited patiently for him to take the lead again.

She waited...

And waited...

"Gaara, let's go already-!"

"Ssh!" Gaara hissed at her, his cautious behavior had her on edge. "We have to hide. This way, quickly. "

He was urgent, and tugging her down a thickly wooded hill. Some branches whipped at her face, stinging and cutting her delicate skin as they ran through the darkness. With a painful grunt she tripped over a branch

landing harshly on her stomach, with shaking arms she tried lifting herself back up from the cold damp leaves, but it was proving to be difficult. Warm arms scooped her up, and she would have startled had she not recognized the scent.

"I'm sorry." Sakura winced as her hands went to his chest, feeling his strong heart pound beneath his sternum.

"It's okay, just hold onto me tightly." The redhead urged, and she followed his order by wrapping her arms around his neck. With the pinkette draped protectively in his arms he began to run, surprising her with how quiet his steps had become.

Also, how he could run through the woods with no shoes was also beyond her. Not to mention it felt like they were racing at an insane speed.

Although she was bouncing slightly in his arms, she couldn't help but enjoy the ride. He was so strong, fast, and his chest was hot as she curled in further. He smelled so intoxicating, and wild. She could feel his breath puff against the top of her head with his hard panting.

She wished that the moment would last-

"Fuck!" Gaara cursed as he came to a full stop. Her body jerked at the intensity of the stop, and she could have sworn he was going as fast as a galloping horse. Had he not been holding her she was certain she would have flown forward to the ground. He searched around himself trying to figure something out while she tried to rationalize what had just happened.

"What's wrong?" Sakura was already scared, and his anxiety was making it worse.

"They have your scent, they're on the move." The redhead gave almost a growl, and then the sounds began.

The sounds of wolves howling out to one another... coming in from all sides.

Suddenly he placed her on her feet, and she gave a small panicked shriek thinking that he might abandon her there.

"Take off your underwear." He ordered, and she just about smacked him for it.

"The hell-?!"

"It's the place where your personal scent is strongest TAKE THEM OFF-"

"Okay! Jeeze!" Sakura hurriedly reached up her skirt, shimmied down her underwear, and gave them to him with an outstretched hand. She heard him sniff a few times, and she smacked his shoulder for his disgusting behavior. "What the hell are you doing!?"

"Drop your cloak, and take my shirt-"

"Gaara this is ridiculous-!"

"DO IT!" He snarled at her in a feral way, and it made her immediately bend to his dominant will. The cloak fell to the ground, and the top was tugged over her dress. The black poet's shirt practically drowned her.

Gaara picked her up, and lifted her into a nearby tree, to which she climbed the branches hastily.

"Don't move, don't make a single sound. No matter what happens you will not move from this spot until I come back for you!" The redhead barked at her, and she obeyed with a firm nod.

The pinkette had never been so afraid in her life, just the idea of being hunted was enough to make her want to cry. However, how was it that they only had her scent? What about his? Perhaps the wolves didn't bother people like him, like a mutual understanding of sorts.

The howling grew louder, and she could hear the noisy wolves begin to invade the space. She couldn't see, but she could hear some slight barks and growling.

"Gaara! I knew we'd catch you're scent!" A female called out to the redhead, and suddenly Sakura felt as if they might be saved, she couldn't believe his people would be out and about what with all the wolves. "I smelled a human female, did you catch her?"

'Human... female... what is she taking about?' She clenched hard at a branch, bending forward to listen more closely.

"You're too late, I already ate her." Gaara responded, and a few groans were heard.

'What!?' The pinkette tried to listen even harder, thinking that she had misheard him.

"Always a sucker for the pretty ones, aren't you?" A male spoke up, laughing a bit as he did so. He sounded rather easy going had she met him under different circumstances. "Did you toy with this one? Why is her scent all over you?"

'They can smell me on him?!' Sakura blinked at the dark, her muscles tensing with the urge for flight.

"I kept a trinket from this one, it's a scent I won't deny that I enjoy greatly." She assumed that he was holding up her underwear, which disturbed her greatly. Just who were these people?

"Why do you always play with your food!?" The female barked.

"He's the 'red wolf', Temari, he practically fucks his food before he eats them!"

Sakura's stomach churned, and the urge to vomit rose up in her throat. To think that Gaara was a cannibal was... disturbing. She had heard of it before, but this was absolutely disgusting. Not to mention him having intercourse with the person before hand... it made her feel sick.

What really had chills running through her was the fact that they called him the red wolf. Does that mean that the stories were false? A man murdered all of those people instead of a wolf, it was difficult to believe let alone it being a man that she had trusted.

"So, how was she? She smells great-"

"She was delightful, a very pretty girl in a beautiful white dress. Like a bride being delivered to me from the heavens, I found her alone, and lost." A dark chuckle came out of the redhead, and she felt a strong lurch. "She was asleep in a bed of flowers just waiting for me to take a taste, and she truly was delicious."

"Did she cry-?"

"Kankuro!" The female named Temari screeched before a smacking sound was heard.

"Well, did she?" Kankuro pressed eagerly. Sakura couldn't believe the things coming out of this man's mouth. Were they all murderous cannibals?

"Like a newborn kitten at first, but that was before I ate her." Gaara snickered with the other man for a moment before the woman became frustrated. She was greatful for at least one voice of reason among the group.

"You are both disgusting, stop messing around with your meals! I'm going to hunt on the west side!" Suddenly a loud howl erupted forcing the pinkette to cover her ears. As it left she listened in again.

"Next time you should let me watch-"

"And blow my cover? Not a chance! Go find your own!" Gaara barked, a scuffle was heard before another howl errupted. It ran off in the same direction as the woman.

There was a stillness there, a dead silence amongst the cool night. Not even a cricket was heard.

Sakura's skin was crawling, she felt sick to her stomach, she didn't want to be around him. She didn't want him to come back for her-

"Sakura? It's alright now, you can come down." The redhead was suddenly there, his arm reaching up into the branches as he grasped at her ankle.

"No!" The pinkette shrieked in horror as she scurried over another tree limb. Her hand went to grab a branch that wasn't stable, and her body went plummeting to the forest floor. The wind was forced out of her lungs, forcing her to cough violently while still trying to heave in air. Warm hands brought her to a sitting position, but as soon as she caught her breath she began to fight him. "Don't touch me!"

"Stop it. If you make a scene they will come back-"

"It doesn't matter! You're going to kill me anyways!" Sakura began to sob, feeling completely trapped in his strong arms. They pulled her in tightly, and she sadly held him for comfort even though she knew she was about to die.

Maybe that's why she held him, just to feel something before she died. Maybe he could still do what he was going to before he ripped her to shreds, and take advantage of her. That would be at least one thing off her list before she bit the bullet-

"I'm not going to kill you. I wasn't going to kill you, and I don't want to." Gaara spoke gently as he pet her hair, but she shook her head at him.

"You were going to rape me, and kill me-"

"No, I wasn't going to do that." He argued, and began to rock her back and forth until she felt the motion calm her nerves. She couldn't understand how he could do this to her, how he could just shut off her fight or flight response like that.

"How could you do that? How can you eat your own kind?! Its wrong!" She wailed, hitting him a few times against his chest before calming enough to let him speak.

"Because I'm not one of you, we're very different-"

"Oh really? I didn't realize that-!" She started to scream at him, but his hand quickly covered her mouth.

"No, you're misunderstanding, I'm not human." She blinked at the dark, not understanding what he could mean by that."I'm a wolf, the 'red wolf', the real one."

His tone was serious, but she couldn't even fathom such a tale being true. Shaking her head out of his grasp she chose to scream at him again.

"Liar!" She hit him a few more times, but then something changed. Something she couldn't see.

Her hand hit soft, warm fur. A soft panting was heard like that of a dog. She felt around this thing trying to decipher what it was. It growled, making her jump back from the beast before it howled.

She was face to face with a wolf, a real living breathing wolf.

Sakura scrambled to her feet, without so much of knowing where she was going she began to run. She took off his shirt, and tried throwing it to distract the beast, but it had absolutely no effect. It was following her, the red wolf was hot on her heals.

A tree slammed into her shoulder making her lose her balance, and she went tumbling down a hill getting scratched and torn by several dead branches on the way down. When she finally rolled to a stop her head was still spinning, and warm blood was running down her cheek from the scratches.

Everything burned, stung, smarted, and ached. She could hardly move when the soft patter of paws trotted around until they stood right in front of her.

It was the wolf, and it was sniffing at her in a way that was unsettling. She swung at the canine, crying as her fist missed the beast time and time again.

Hot hands grabbed her wrists, and she screamed in horror at the realization that he had changed again, but she just couldn't see it.

"As much as I love a good chase, it is stupid for you to run when you cannot see. Look at the damage you have done to yourself, all these cuts and scrapes-"

"GET AWAY!" Sakura screeched, her heart pounding like a rabbit's in her chest. He forced her down hard, spreading his weight over her form to keep her under his control. As she screamed once more she heard him hush her like a parent to their crying child.

"I'm not going to hurt you, my dear. I just want a taste-" Gaara had brought his face close her own, and she felt his heated breath flay on her cheek before he lapped at the blood trickling down. She kicked her legs, wriggled in his grasp, and cried helplessly as he licked at her wounds. "God, you taste incredible. Such fresh blood."

The redhead licked a few more times before moving on to the other side. She started to whimper now instead of full crying, unsure as to why he hadn't bitten into her yet.

"I could get used to this, you taste so wonderful. I could just lick you all over-"

"Stop!" The pinkette cried out, unable to handle the hidden meaning behind his words. She felt his heated hands roam up her dress, and as a reaction she tried kicking at him relentlessly.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Gaara ordered once more, his alpha tone making her want to instinctually obey even though her mind was telling her to escape. Once he got what he wanted he would most certainly kill her. "Like I said... I just want to taste..."

With a soft growl his large hand gripped at her bottom, and as she went to knee him he quickly pressed it all the way up to her chest. She tried flailing, swatting at him, screaming, anything she could to get him to go away, but he stayed. His mouth traveled down her neck, over the tops of her partially exposed breasts, his nails scratched over her bodice before grabbing at her hips through her plush yet torn skirt. She whimpered, but still fought him for control.

"So much energy, I like that in a woman." The redhead fluffed her skirt, bunching it up as he made his way down her body. "In honor of your spirit I will give you a treat-"

Before she could scream at him she felt his heated breath puff between her legs. He panted a hairswidth away from her folds, ghosting his lips along them as he breathed.

Why couldn't she move? Why did she suddenly want him to do it?

A small hot lap at her sensitive nub left her weakened, and whimpering with anticipation. He chuckled against her heat, electrifying everything in her body.

Suddenly a long lubricious lick left her trembling with a sharp mewl. She felt him smile against her before placing open mouth kisses between her legs. Her hips rolled at the lascivious sensation, unable to control what was happening to her any longer. Her fingers tangled into his hair forcing him to hum against her folds. She gave another wanton mewl before rocking her hips against his sinful tongue.

"Why... why...can't I stop?" Sakura panted, unable to place why she was suddenly so lost in what this man was doing to her.

No, not a man, a beast. She was letting a wolf devour her starting at her most precious of places.

Gaara hummed again, increasing the pressure of his tongue as he licked in an almost continuous motion. She subconsciously made more room for him by spreading her thighs, one of her hands snuck away to grab at her own breast.

The pinkette was losing herself to whatever spell he had cast on her, and she was willing to do whatever he wanted as long as he could bring her to climax.

That's all that mattered anymore; that tingling sensation that left her warm and whining for more. That powerful finish that had her crying out loudly. She could only ever do such things in the forest; the walls in her house were too thin, and she would always come too hard to not make a sound.

The redhead was relentless, and she was so close that she could practically taste it on the top of her tongue. With a continuous roll of her hips she began riding it out, wave after wave of pleasure breaking her from the inside out. It was unlike anything she could ever do to herself, and she realized now why some of her friends were so adamant about doing it.

The fingers in his crimson hair pulled hard, the hand on her breast squeezed firmly, and that final tidal wave finally hit so hard that she felt like she could see colors in the darkness. She cried lustfully from the white hot pleasure, feeling nothing but her pounding heart and his unmerciful tongue lapping at her sensitive nub. Her hips rose up for one last pulse of near painful ecstasy before her body went pleasantly numb all over. As his mouth slowed she was finally able to catch her breath, but it didn't stop her from placing a hand over her rabbit heart begging it to stop.

Gaara crawled over her panting frame, and went straight to her neck to drag his teeth against it. She bucked her hips against him with a weak cry, still recovering from the pleasures she felt before. When her wet folds brushed against the hardness in his pants she felt afraid, but he began to coax her with his words and actions.

"You want it, I can smell it on you." The redhead practically purred against her ear before giving the shell a slow lick. Her body ached from the inside out, making her whimper for more as he teased. "It will only hurt for a moment, you're so wet that it should just slip right in."

"Wait... please... I can't do that!"

"You will do it, and you will like it. You can't say no to me because you want to know how it feels." Gaara moved his hand down between them, adjusting himself before placing his exposed length at her entrance. "I shall mark you with this, you'll never forget how it feels to have me inside you. Now hold still..."

Sakura couldn't move, she wanted to, but his words seemed to be a law of nature. Without much warning he began pressing into her, a foreign painful fullness overwhelmed her senses causing her to wriggle in discomfort.

"It's too much! It hurts!" A tear slipped down her cheek, but he pressed until he was all the way in. Every breath hurt, every movement ached bitterly, but he stayed inside panting with exhilaration.

"Relax now, the pain will lower if you do." The redhead ordered huskily in her ear while she continued to cry woefully over the discomfort. She didn't know if it was the blood on her face or from her womanhood that smelled so strongly in the dark, but it unsettled her. "Relax, my dear. I want you to enjoy this, just relax."

The pinkette knew it was too late to go back now, he had already taken the one thing she had been saving for marriage. There was no point in struggling now, there was nothing left to fight for. If anything she could at least try to enjoy the things he was promising her, and make this experience worth while rather than scarring.

Plus, Sakura had thought of it earlier when she believed death to be around the corner. That it would be nice to cross this act off her list.

That it might be nice to indulge in him, regardless of what he was and what he did. Secretly she had craved him from the first moment her eyes laid their sights on him. She looked upon him, and deep down felt a link to him. A link between predator, and prey. She clung to that red string the second it made itself known despite her fear of him.

No, there would be no more reservations. He could have her as he pleased, as long as he kept that link between then alive.

The pinkette took a deep breath while attempting to relax her pelvic floor. It surprisingly worked in relieving the pain, and he chuckled as he felt it from the inside.

"Such a good girl, I knew you would see it my way." Gaara spoke just above a whisper, then pulled out slowly. She gritted her teeth at the movement, but tried focusing on relaxing her muscles. Once the pain subsided he slid back in making her wince again. They did this back and forth motion for a while before she grew comfortable with it. Suddenly it started to feel different, less foreign and more familiar.

That warm tingle started again, only it was so much more than before. She gave a soft mewl as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Since he was close to her in height he was able to rest his chest against her own, and she savored the weight of him as he moved.

"It feels good, doesn't it?" The redhead purred before giving a soft groan. It was obvious that he was beginning to lose himself in her embrace. "It certainly feels good for me."

Sakura whimpered, although the discomfort was still there it was being overwhelmed by this new sensation. Her legs started to wrap around him, greedy for more of his pleasant thrusts into her aching heat. She started to sweat from the exertion.

The moisture on her skin grew cold from the night air, her flesh feeling clammy except for the places where he was touching her. His body felt like a burning fire, impossibly feverish for a normal person. She wondered if his mouth was just as heated.

Searching in the dark while trying not to cry out from his ministrations, her lips found his jawline. He took shaking breaths, chuckling darkly here and there when her hands would roam his lean yet muscular frame. Her mouth finally found his, diving in to taste him, but only recieving a taste of herself on his tongue. It wasn't disgusting, if anything it was rather interesting. His body trembled when her tongue dragged against his own, and his movements grew confused for a moment as he tried to process it.

The pinkette's hips bucked up to remind him, and he returned the gesture twofold. She whined through the corners of her mouth, and felt him smile against her lips before thrusting hard in her once more. She cursed, her head falling back like dead weight as he began an onslaught on her body.

"Yes... succumb to it..." Gaara moaned, his head went in to rest on her collar bone. His thrusts were hard, and growing faster by the minute. She could start to see, the stars above her were suddenly so bright, the air felt cool in her lungs. Her body was pulsing, and she was beginning to become unaware of how hard she was screaming.

Then the sound of his voice hit her ears, whining softly and yet also whispering her name.

"Sakura... Sakura..." The redhead chanted as one arm wrapped under her neck to cradle her head, his other hand slipped under her back to keep her connected to his body while he moved with her. She cried into his bare shoulder, her teeth dragging against his pale flesh unable to handle what he was doing to her.

Then it suddenly hit her, the tingling burn had her face twisted in a silent scream. She wriggled in his grasp, fearing the intense sensation as it made her heart pound heavily in her ears while every muscle tensed. Her breathing stilled, locked in her chest until the pulsing stopped. Her eyes were about to roll back when he suddenly pulled his length away from her, giving a shaking groan as he did so.

Gaara breathed hard, so hard that she thought he might pass out from the action alone. She ran her fingers lightly over his dampened back, feeling the cool sweat on his smooth skin. Her other hand snaked up into his soaked hair, and soothingly scratched along his scalp. He was trembling, panting, and overwhelmed. She felt a strong urge to comfort him.

The redhead laid himself on her, resting his head on her chest. He stayed there until his body calmed, and let out one last huff before licking his lips.

"You have a nice, strong heartbeat..." Gaara murmured, squeezing his arms around her tightly. "It reminds me of my mother, she had a strong heartbeat too."

Sakura accidentally let a snort slip out in reaction to the comment.

"Sorry, not to be rude, but don't you think that now is not exactly the time to compare me to your mom?" The pinkette felt him nuzzle in response, but his voice came out teasing.

"Ever heard of Oedipus-?" She could practically hear his smirk.

"Oh gross!" Sakura smacked the redhead's bare shoulder, causing a fit of giggles to escape him. "Of course that's the one bit of literature you actually know about-!"

"I'm not uneducated. I can read, and write your language well enough." Gaara scoffed before raising himself up, and off of her. The second his body left her she almost wanted to cry out for him to come back.

'Don't be stupid... he's not a pet.' She scolded herself.

"Why do you eat humans? Why don't you just live with us if you can take our form?" The pinkette blurted out the question randomly, but she figured that there was no harm in actually asking it.

Well, she thought that was the case, but the silence told her otherwise.

"There's... a natural desire for it. For human flesh. However, I hadn't actually tried cooked meats until recently... you flavor them nicely." The redhead moved to sit next to her, pressing his shoulder against her own. It instantly soothed her.

"I've never thought of living amongst humans before, I just know it is invigorating to live as a wolf. The idea of leaving my pack never occurred to me... although now would probably be the best time I suppose. There are none of us left here with the exception of my own family, and contrary to popular belief wolves do not like to inbreed. We try to travel first, and only breed with our kin if it is absolutely necessary."

His tone was serious, and she could tell his head was facing the forest floor. The idea of him not having friends, only a small group of family members was painful. She wished he could join an actual society.

"Can you breed with humans?" Sakura pressed shyly, and it seemed to get his interest.

"I thought we just did?" Gaara scoffed sarcastically, and started to laugh as she smacked his shoulder again. "To be honest I'm not sure if we can produce offspring, but the attraction is there. In fact, you are the only person I've ever pulled out of. I just ate everyone else after the fact-"

"That's disgusting!" Immediately growing disturbed she tried standing, but shrieked as he pulled her back to him.

"I'm not going to eat you. I don't want to. You smell nice, you're kind to me, and I like the way you say my name." She flinched as his fingers moved her hair out of her face, and his tone softened. "You're beautiful, and different from other humans... I like you too much to eat you, even though your blood is the best I've ever tasted..."

Sakura turned away from him, unable to handle the oddly romantic yet frightening words he was saying. However, she felt that everything he said rang true.

"I'd like to keep mating with you." The redhead said it so bluntly that every hair on her body stood up. His hand slipped around her back to the side of her waist, nurturing her with a half embrace.

"I can't... I shouldn't have done it at all..." The pinkette spoke just above a whisper, and as a result he pressed his nose to her cheek.

"I can wait, I don't mind." A smile resounded in his voice as he rubbed his face against her own in an animalistic way. "You're my favorite so far, so I don't mind putting your needs before my own. You can go home, and rest your body before we try again-"

"What if I don't want to do it again?" Sakura snapped, feeling his hand on her twitch. There was a moment of silence, and she feared that perhaps he was thinking of eating her after all.

"Once again, I like your spirit. When you push me away it makes my flesh burn, and I want to give chase." He started sniffing at her hair like a dog, it was so intimidating that she recoiled.

"Keep that up, and I will toss a stick, dog-boy." The pinkette huffed, and rose to her feet. The moon had begun to rise, and the clouds covering it had moved. Her surroundings began to become more visible, and even color began to shine once more for her eyes.

Sakura looked over at Gaara. She took in his glowing pale skin, his messy crimson locks, and haunting orbs that shined in a way that humans did not possess.

Her blood went cold upon seeing it, the eyeshine of a nocturnal animal in a man's eyes. It made her skin crawl with unease.

"You look as if you've seen a ghost." Gaara purred with a sadistic smirk before raising himself from the forest floor. Thankfully when her eyes searched his form he had already concealed his indecency from earlier back inside his trousers. He took a silent step towards her, and she instantly took a step back. "Interesting reaction-"

"You look like a monster." The pinkette blurted out before she could stop herself, and gasped at how rude it sounded. "Ah... I'm so sorry-"

"Don't be, you are correct in thinking that, and it is natural for my appearance to both frighten, and excite you." The redhead smiled before taking fast steps towards her. She instantly recoiled, and tripped once more over a branch that she didn't realize was behind her. However, he had already caught her before she could even fall halfway, yanking her back up to press her chest against him.

He stared intensely into her eyes, spiriting her far far away...

"So, little girl, let's get you back home. I'd love to see where you live." Gaara gave a wolfish grin.

**AN: So if you accidentally read this chapter first then CONGRATS! But yeah, this accidentally was the first chapter posted and has since been fixed lmao. Review anyways though ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Warning, graphic sexual content.**

Last night had been so strange. She wondered at all if it had been a dream...

The aching in her lower half told her 'no', she was no longer virtuous by any means, and yet the thought no longer bothered her. While she had been saving herself for marriage, she couldn't think of one man that she had initially wanted to marry.

Well, there was the dangerously handsome, and brooding Sasuke, but he was already engaged to a shrill redhead named Karin. Naruto had been vying after Sakura for years, but she never felt the same way for him. Same went for her friend Rock Lee...

In the back of her mind, the pinkette knew she would never marry, and that's probably why she let Gaara do what he did. However, he was awfully strong, and terribly pushy about it. Yet, she found herself daydreaming about the previous night's events, blushing at the memories that returned with their mirroring sensations.

The redhead had taken her home, as promised. He watched carefully as she slipped into her cottage without so much of a sound. When she finally got to her room without being detected she had waved to him out of her window to let him know she had made it without consequence.

Gaara had stared at her from the ground, almost hungrily one might add. He had remained silent too, and held her far away gaze for a long time. It wasn't until one of the city folk had made their nightwatch rounds that he had shaken out of it. The sound of footsteps had startled him, and like a wild animal he fled into the trees.

Sakura wondered if he would come back or not.

Shaking away the thought, she got out of bed. She quickly ran down to the bath, and began stoking a fire to heat the water. The days were getting colder now that summer was ending, and she would have to start stoking the fires early if she wanted to keep the chill away.

Her bath went smoothly, and she had fancied herself in using some lavender with her soaps and body oils. Her skin came out soft, polished, hydrated, and smelling of a sweet herbal dream. She dressed herself in a short sleeved, long blue dress that reminded her of the little blue flowers on the forest floor.

Mother was baking delicious muffins in the kitchen, and the smell that wafted through the house was divine. Sakura immediately went in to helping her mother with the baking, but cringed when she heard her gasp.

"What happened to you!?" The older woman was dropping everything to check over her daughter's face and neck. The pinkette looked off to the side, wondering how she could get herself out of this one.

"I fell... down a hill..." Sakura answered in a half truth, and surprisingly Mebuki accepted it completely.

"For god's sake, girl! Watch your footing next time!" Her mother scolded, and like a child the pinkette hung her head while continuing her work. "How are you to find a husband if you end up scarring your beautiful skin-?"

"I don't want to be married. I'm going to take over for Tsunade, and become a medicine woman..." Sakura said it absentmindedly, not realizing just what she had said until it was out of her mouth. A jar of preserves was knocked over, and rolled awkwardly off the counter while her mother gawked.

"Why... How can you do this?! We have no other children! Our family line cannot continue without you-!"

"Then have another child. I'm not a boy, so it's not like our name will be handed down anyways!" The pinkette shouted right as the door to their home opened.

Sakura's father, Kizashi, walked in with their neighbor Shikaku, and his son Shikamaru. They all looked at the two women curiously before heading in towards the living room, but not before Shikamaru turned around within the open door to motion someone else to follow. The pinkette paled as a boy with crimson hair, and haunting cyan eyes walked into her kitchen.

"Gaara...?" The pinkette almost whispered, wide eyed as he stepped in with a slight smirk on his features. He looked cleaned up, his dress consisted of a new white shirt, a black vest embroidered with a couple red and white flowers, brown pants, and black hunting boots. He even carried a flintlock rifle strapped over his shoulder.

He looked like any of the other hunters in their town, only his exotic features shined through enough to make him thoroughly stand out.

"Sakura." He gave a curt nod before following the other men. However, before he entered the living room he turned to give her one last look. His eyes trailed her figure quickly before giving a genuine smile. "I like your dress. It's a nice color on you."

Before she could even respond he disappeared through the doorway, leaving her standing there gaping like a dying fish.

Someone's voice cleared, and she turned her head slowly towards her mother who was now giving her a knowing look.

"Who's that boy? I've never seen him before." Mebuki raised a brow at her daughter, crossing her arms as a smile threatened to appear.

"Ah-! His name is Gaara, he walked me home last night. He's a really good hunter..." Sakura flushed at the memory of him moaning in her ear, and felt goosebumps rise up on her entire body.

"He's very handsome, is he from the mountains?" Her mother's smirk seemed to grow, and the girl could practically see a plan beginning to formulate in her head.

"Yes, but he's well educated." The pinkette indulged her, but tried to paint him in a better light than most of the other mountain folk. "Tsunade trusts him-"

"Well, then we shall trust him as well if you two already do. It looks like he must be staying with the Nara family, I wonder how they met." Mebuki glazed some freshly baked muffins with honey while Sakura plated the cool ones.

"Not sure... I'll go ahead and bring these out for father and the others-"

"Is that Gaara fellow married yet?" Her mother was straight to the point, but it had an instant effect on her daughter.

"Um... no. No he's not... I don't think..." The pinkette brushed some hair nervously behind her ear, not noticing the look she was recieving.

"Shikamaru isn't married yet-"

"I don't like Shikamaru that way." Sakura snipped, but the laugh she got for her trouble had her instantly on edge.

"Ah, but it seems that you don't mind that Gaara boy, hmm?" Mebuki was shameless, it made Sakura groan with irritation before storming out of the room with a plate full of baked goods.

The men were sitting around a wellmade wooden table leaning over a map while pointing at different areas.

"We have never hunted in this area, the wolves are too prevalent." Kizashi tapped at the area almost violently, a scowl on his features.

"There's a reason for why they are. The hunting is good here, and as long as you wear animal pelts it will be harder for them to pick up your scent. Also, adding a bit of pine or cedar to your clothing or baths can help mask your scent for not only the wolves, but your prey as well." Gaara eyed each man in the room with a halfsmile, obviously proud of his hunting ways. "If you see them, however, avoid shooting them. They are vengeful creatures that will bite even after you cut off their heads."

At the sound of that all of the men around the redhead went pale, making the pinkette roll her eyes before setting the plate down in front of them.

"You're just trying to scare them." She interjected, letting her hands stay on the table as she leaned forward to look at the map. However, she did make an internal note that she might just be doing it to stick around him a little longer.

"You were rather scared last night, if I recall. Walking you home was a real adventure." Gaara scoffed, and she turned her head to face him with a raised brow.

"You just wanted to scare me so I'd hold your hand. I know your tricks, fox." At her words his eyes narrowed, as if he truly found insult from the term.

"Heh, don't loop me in with such ridiculous creatures. They may be cunning, but they act like lunatics." The redhead rolled his eyes, and she couldn't help but laugh at him.

"It looks like you got injured on your walk home." Kizashi interjected, breaking the connection between the two. Sakura ended up straightening, but before she could answer the redhead did it for her.

"She decided to let go of my hand, and found herself tumbling down a hill. It was... rather hysterical really-"

"It was not!" The pinkette smacked his shoulder, reminded quickly that he was nothing but lean muscle underneath those concealing layers.

"I keep having to rescue her, she's quite clumsy." He eyed her from the side, but she decided that she'd had enough of his behavior. The rest of the men at the table seemed to chuckle at their bickering.

With her chin held high she decided to proudly walk back into the kitchen. Her mother was there, waiting surprisingly with a new red hooded cloak.

"I need you to go to the tavern, and deliver these baked goods." Mebuki waved the cloak in her hands while her daughter gave an exasperated groan. "You thought I didn't have an extra cloak ready for you, did you?"

The pinkette sighed in defeat, going to her mother's arms to be draped in the thick red fabric.

"It makes you stand out a bit, hopefully you'll catch a nice young suiter's eye-"

"Mother, I will become hermit if you keep this up." Sakura huffed, snatching up the large basket of baked goods to be delivered to the tavern.

The men came back in through the kitchen on their way out, however the last one stopped to appraise her before leaving with the rest.

"Another red cloak? It's almost like your signature feature now." Gaara grinned ear to ear, earning a pinch to the arm for his comment.

"It's not my choice. I have to go to the tavern, and apparently I am supposed to be catching the eyes of 'suitors' on my way." The pinkette huffed, but managed a flush as his eyes traced her frame once again.

"I suppose it is a flattering color, what man can say 'no' to the color red?" The wolf raised naked brow at her, but she ignored it in favor of ruffling his red hair.

"I don't know, why don't you tell me? You're wearing red all the time. The boys must love you-"

"Ha ha. Very funny." Gaara feigned humor as he rolled his eyes.

Sakura walked past him with a confident smile, making her way out for the day.

She wondered if she would see him later...

\- ... - ... - ...

As she entered the tavern Sakura noticed a lively tune begin to play, and turned her head to see Naruto playing a parlor guitar. He gave a strange howl before whistling with the music.

The tavern guests seemed to laugh at his antics, and she rolled her eyes before delivering her goods. She didn't fail to notice that her father had also come in with the hunting group, and they were now currently sitting at a table drinking their pints of beer. Gaara, however, seemed to be drinking either wine or water. She couldn't tell due to the metal cup the liquid was carried in.

"Hey there, little red riding hood~" Naruto's singing seemed to invade her thoughts, and she turned around to see him staring straight at her from across the noisy room. His cerulean eyes held a great deal of mischief in them. "You sure are lookin' good~"

"Oh for heavens sake." The pinkette groaned, crossing her eyes to glare at him while he gave a quick laugh.

"You're everything a big bad wolf could want~ AWOOO!" The blonde howled, and the room errupted into hysterical laughter.

However, she ended up blushing far more than she should have, and her eyes met with cyan ones from the other side. He was grinning for a moment, but then his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Little red riding hood, I don't think little big girls should go walking in these spooky old woods alone~ AWOOO!"

The redhead's sights turned dangerously onto the blonde singing the song, and her heart plummeted at the thought that he might be angered by it.

"What big eyes you have! The kind of eyes that drive wolves mad, so just to see that you don't get chased I think I ought to walk with you for a ways. What full lips you have.

They're sure to lure someone bad, so until you get to grandma's place I think you ought to walk with me, and be safe. I'm gonna keep my sheep suit on until I'm sure that you've been shown that I can be trusted walking with you alone~ AWOOOOOOOO!"

Before she knew it she was crossing the room, and practically ripping the parlor guitar out of Naruto's hands. The room errupted into boorish laughter, while the blonde guiltily raised his hands in surrender.

"Naruto, you little bastard!" Sakura screeched, smacking him upside the head with her palm before attempting to storm out. His stronger hands grabbed hold of her arm, and with a tug he pulled her onto his lap. "Naruto! Let go now-!"

"You can't even stay to say hello?! What's your rush?!" The blonde laughed loudly, and in a panic her eyes darted to her father's table.

Gaara was missing from the group, causing her anxiety to go through the roof.

"My father is here with his friends, please do not do this right now-"

"Aw, your dad loves me! It's fine! Stay and share a drink with us!" Naruto hugged her, obviously having a bit too much to drink already. She struggled in his arms for a moment, shouting at him futilely to let her go until two pale hands forced the other boy's to open up.

"When a lady asks not to be touched, you had better listen to her."

Sakura looked up to see Gaara glaring past her, his sights set on the boy. However, Naruto didn't seemed bothered by him at all. If anything, he seemed to be intrigued.

"A wolf in sheep's clothing, huh?" She heard the blonde murmur just loud enough for her to hear, and felt him open his arms wider to let her go. "Not a battle I want to fight-"

"Smart choice." The redhead bit, but the blonde just seemed to laugh while she maneuvered out of his arms.

"Perhaps later we can have a duel, I've been itching for a strong opponent." Naruto gave a feral grin that left her uneasy. She had never seen such an expression on his face before, usually he was just happy and perky.

"Naruto, go drink some water. You've had too much alcohol today." The pinkette adjusted her blue dress, not noticing how the redhead was watching her.

But Naruto certainly did.

"If I was drunk, 'Red' here would already be knocked out." The blonde eyed his newest enemy with a devilish grin, instantly gaining attention from the two.

"Big talk from such small game." Gaara crossed his arms in a power display, making Sakura groan over how much testosterone was flaring up around her.

"Well, I bet my dick is bigger than yours. Pull it out- AAACK!" Naruto winced holding his skull while the pinkette's fist still crushed down on it.

Another eruption of laughter came from the drunks surrounding them, and with a frustrated growl she began storming out of the establishment. It wasn't until she was outside did she notice the redhead was hot on her heels.

"Sakura-"

"Don't!" Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. Her fists clenched shakingly at her sides. "You're only going to make things bad for yourself if you give into Naruto's behavior! And as god as my witness, I refuse to be blamed for your ignorant displays of power!"

"Forgive me for wanting to protect what is mine-" Gaara stated smartly, only his smart mouth was about to get him the woman's scorn. The pinkette flipped around, her fists still clenched.

"I am not yours!" Sakura hissed, watching carefully as a few aggressive emotions crossed his features. They boiled under the surface, but eventually cooled into a stony expression.

"I can't believe the sacrifices I am making for you, and yet you claim that we are not mated. That is rich." The redhead rolled his eyes for a moment, but then quickly grabbed her hand tightly in his own.

As harsh as the action was, the fact that he was holding her hand so sincerely almost wiped away the fact that he was so aggressive. As always, it left her confused.

"How do you want me to court you then? I thought the chase was up when I took you into my arms, but it as appears that your kind has a different way of doing things." Gaara stepped closer to her, his free hand going to her hair to brush away a few strands. "Sweet honeyed words, and gentle touches is all that I know. What else can I do to claim you?"

In that moment the pinkette found herself at a loss for words. The fact that he had no concept of love, romance, or devotion left her brain scrambling to find something to piece together for him. How could she make this understandable for him?

He was more like an animal, not really a complete person. Yet he had the word for 'love' carved onto his forehead.

"Do you know what that character on your forehead means?" Sakura pressed gently, noting how his bare brows furrowed.

"Of course I do. It means 'love'." The redhead huffed for a second, but then blinked his coal rimmed eyes as something seemed to dawn on him. "It's... a human concept..."

"More than that. It encompasses many things, and shows itself in many forms. Do you know how to love?" The pinkette kept her eyes locked on his own, shocked to find a soft blush gracing his cheeks.

His blackened lids lowered slightly, and he licked his lips with an anxious anticipation.

"I know one way..." Gaara murmured, leaning towards her while tilting her chin up. Her heart was beating so fast-

"Gaara!" They jumped apart, startled to find Shikaku and Shikamaru smirking at them. "You had better be happy it was us that caught you, and not Kizashi."

The two began laughing, and while Sakura was thoroughly flustered the redhead seemed to be calm and collected.

"Perhaps I should ask him permission first?" The redhead gave a half smile, and even though the smile alone could make one melt it was more the content of his words that did the work for him.

Was he making a play at marriage? It was so forward, he barely even knew her.

"I'll see you guys later... I'm going back home." The pinkette bowed out of the conversation, gaining one last look at the man who had her blushing so hard.

His eyes danced around her desperately, looking like a puppy she was about to leave in the rain. She felt an arrow go through her heart at that, but she couldn't let her father see just how much he affected her.

He would kill him for sure.

\- ... - ... - ... -

Sakura had told her mother that she would be in the barn, and she had told the truth. She had shoveled a few piles of dry hay, and had decided to rest in one of the finished piles. The dusty grassy smell always left her sleepy, and the feel of it under her aching form was soft and supportive. Yes, it can be itchy on bare skin, which was why she kept her red cloak on to guard her bare arms.

It was a frequent occurance that she would fall asleep out here, and sometimes her parents would simply bring her a warm wool blanket for the night. This time seemed to be one of those nights.

She remembered the blanket being draped across her by her mother, and she remembered her father bringing in an oil lamp to hang on the wall for warm light had she any need to wake up and go anywhere.

What was strange was the way her dress was moving upward now, and that her back felt so completely warm. The warmth traveled over her waist, down her front, and in between her legs. Something wet attacked her neck, causing her to whimper and writhe.

"Hush... your family left the windows open tonight. I assume it's so that they can hear if anything goes wrong." The familiar voice murmured against her ear before another bit of warmth encompassed one of her breasts. "So we'll have to be very quiet tonight, my dear."

One word was skipping around in her brain.

"Wolf." Sakura whispered, then felt him grind himself against her backside in answer.

"You are correct..." Gaara chuckled softly, removing the is hand between her legs. She whined slightly at the loss of his touch, recieving another hush for her trouble. "In due time, my dear. Don't you worry."

The pinkette relaxed at that, but stiffened as her hand was guided backwards to mold against the front of his pants. There was a hardness there that couldn't be ignored.

"I can't wait to mount you... I've been thinking about it since we separated last night. I had never felt so alive..." The redhead panted against the shell of her ear forcing her to tremble. His hips rocked forward against her hand to press his concealed length into her grasp. "Even your hands are glorious..."

Still sleepy she found herself shivering, then felt his hand go back between her thighs. His fingers smoothed themselves along the now slick folds with a snicker, obviously pleased with how her body responded to him. He bit at her neck, making her body jolt with a squeak before he began making sinful circles along her sensitive nub. She arched shamefully into his hand with a whine only for his other hand to clamp firmly across her lips.

"Hush... or they'll hear you." She could hear the grin in his voice as he spoke, and yet she found herself not caring at all over the humiliation he was causing her. She licked at his hand for a moment as she became enraptured, and when he pulled away just the slightest she pushed herself forward to take two of his fingers into her mouth. The redhead trembled behind her, his breath shaking as he arched hard into her gripping hand. "Such full lips you have..."

Sakura hummed around his fingers, running her tongue along them while she sucked shamelessly. Suddenly she felt him pull away, his fingers popped from her mouth while her world turned in a flurry of darkened colors. She felt pressure on her shoulders, but a heated hand quickly found it's way back up her skirt to rub slickly at her bundle of nerves. She panted as her eyes adjusted, watching through thick lashes as burning cyan orbs pierced through her.

"You're getting me too riled up... it won't be any good if I can't last, little girl." Gaara gave a grin true to his kind, and it frightened as well as excited her. She let out a small mewl of pleasure from the attention, and watched with anticipation as his feral grin grew wider. "You look so innocent, but I know you want it... Say you want it."

The redhead quickened his pace, forcing her own hand to cover her mouth while she bucked sinfully against his working fingers.

"Say it-!" Gaara grinned and laughed, but it was quickly cut short as her arms wrapped around his neck. Her lips connected with his own hungrily, her tongue raked inside his smooth mouth as he twitched here and there. It were as if he didn't really know how to kiss someone.

Just as she pulled away to breathe she looked into his eyes, watching as the haunting orbs darted between her own jade ones and her pouting mouth. He moved quickly, initiating his own passionate kiss that left her biting his lip in wanting. He seemed to enjoy it, and panted against her swollen mouth as he repeatedly went in for more.

Sakura felt as if she might be drunk, happily letting this boy touch her however he pleased and kiss her as deeply as he desired. It left her heady, and whimpering for more around each bend. Soon the pleasure was overwhelming, and she found herself moaning helplessly against his mouth before releasing the sound only through her nose. Her hips rolled against his fingers with abandon, undulating until every last pound of her heart was accounted for.

The redhead's lips were on hers still, even as she gave a small battle cry through clenched teeth he chose to tug teasingly on her lower lip. Finally she panted, relaxing deeply into the hay beneath her as his fingers slowed to a stop. He rolled over onto his back for a moment to relax, but didn't waste time in messing with the buckle of his leather belt. She could tell he was trying to breathe deeply, trying to regain control of himself before attempting anything with her, but she wanted him to continue becoming lost in what they were doing. The moment that he released himself was the moment she decided to take charge.

The pinkette removed her bloomers, and swung her leg over him, watching his cyan eyes go wide in shock as she straddled him. He let her take the reigns, place his length at her her entrance, and let her impale herself as she pleased. His features finally relaxed as he came to terms with a woman riding him, and simply let his hands rest gently on her rocking hips. She greedily savored the sensation, even the slight tight discomfort of inexperience. It was all new, but she didn't care. His lowered lids, and lost expression had her feeling powerful, but wanting more.

"I've... never had someone do anything like this before..." Gaara admitted somewhat shyly, but his flush could be interpreted differently by the way he was puffing out his heated breaths. Her eyes found his, and twinkled with mischief.

"Next time we can tie you up if you'd like." Sakura leaned forward to kiss him, but was shocked by how eager he was for just a simple kiss. His hips bucked up into her, forcing out a sharp mewl her part. They met each other move for move, and she broke their kiss to keep eye contact with him for as long as she could.

"I don't want this to stop..." The redhead panted huskily, clearly overtaken by his lusts. The way he looked at her had her shaken at her core, and she was quickly blindsided by her climax.

He sat up, pressing his hand firmly to her mouth why he repeatedly arched his hips for her. He grunted softly as she met him with her own motions, frantically riding out her orgasm while he groaned at the sensation of her clenching walls. She could feel her essence pooling between them, and as she let out one more silent scream her world turned again.

His porcelain hands where gripping into her fleshy hips, holding her up while he thrusted roughly into her soaking heat. The sensation had her pleasure doubling over, and as her walls tightened for a second climax her entire body arched like a tightened bow. While her vision started to fade she could hear him grunting, then moaning, then finally he let out a sharp desperate cry before whimpering into submission. She felt him pulsing onto her stomach, his shaking breath finding no purchase from oxygen at the moment. She let out sensual sigh of relief, reveling in the sensation of her tingling arms and legs.

"Sakura..." Gaara whispered before his hands went to her cheeks, he cupped her jaw with his fingers before placing a slow moving kiss along her lips. It was almost lazy, and yet it was so wanting. His tongue was desperate to slip in, and she let him do as he pleased. His one hand abandoned her cheek in favor of lacing his fingers with her own, the motion alone left her flushing pink all over from its sweetness. He broke the kiss with desperation in his eyes. "Sakura, say you're mine. Say you won't ever deny my company..."

The pinkette blinked dumbly at him, not really knowing what to say as she was still coming down from a truly fantastic high.

"Say you will always allow me into your bed. That I am always welcome by your side. Please-"

"Gaara... those are things that are reserved for a husband. You are not my husband... so I can't promise any of them to you." Sakura looked off to the side, unable to handle his heartbroken face. "Please understand-"

"Then I'll become your husband. That way you cannot say no to me." The redhead nuzzled against her chest much like an affectionate dog, although it didn't lessen the blow he just delt on her.

"Gaara, you can't be serious. We barely know each other, and yet you're here spouting nonsense about marriage? You need to slow down-"

"No! It's right! It feels right, and I am going to request your hand in marriage from your father in the morning-"

"And what are you going to offer him, hmm?" At her question his excitement seemed to still, and his body went stiff. "You need a dowry in able to marry me. Most people offer goats, or gold. You have neither of those things."

Gaara took a deep shaking breath, but held her to him fast. His strong hands clenched needily along her frame showing how anxious he had become. She pet his damp hair to soothe him, and it seemed to work in her favor.

"I shall become a wealthy man, then. I will have a great deal of money by the end of the week." He nodded to himself against her bosom, and his little daydream made her laugh.

"Good luck with that! I don't know how you're going to come up with that amount of gold in such a short time, but I guess we'll see." Sakura giggled over the idea of him working as a farm hand, or as a bakers assistant. Both of which would never get him the money he would need in time. It was impossible. He would never succeed.

She knew for a fact that she would remain unattached until the end of time, but that was fine by her.

It was fine.

**AN: Alright, still have little to no clue where this is going but I like it so far. Let me know what you guys think, or perhaps what you think should happen! Who knows, maybe I'll take a liking to some of your guys' ideas and put them in the story ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

The week was almost up.

Sakura had been helping her mother in their bakery for the past week, although she wasn't sure if she was really helping much. If anything she was merely forced to dress up in the stupid red cloak to drop off all the baked goods at their different destinations, gaining the eyes of both the invested men, and the bitter women. It had her feeling drained at the end of the day.

Gaara had disappeared. After he had laid with her that one night she had awoken to find him gone. It was a bit disheartening, as she actually enjoyed sleeping next to him and taking in his scent.

Yet, the fact remained that he had stated that he was going to get a dowry for the end of the week. She wondered if it was even possible for him to do so.

Sakura brushed some of her pink hair back as she entered her family's cottage, only to find her mother standing in the kitchen smiling ear to ear.

"What has you so happy?" The pinkette gave a laugh as she hung up her cloak, and her mother eyed it fondly.

"Oh, there's a lovely gentleman in the living room... asking your father for your hand in marriage-"

"WHAT?!" Sakura screeched, running over to the doorway to peep around it.

Sure enough, the redhead was there with not only a nice sized pouch of gold coins, but a mountain of furs as well. He was currently having a laugh with her father, Kizashi. She flushed from head to toe at the thought that he had actually stayed true to his word.

"So, I hope this will be enough to cover as a dowry. I'm not familiar with how these things go, in the mountains we are a bit more simple about it. It's usually the strongest male has the pick of the healthiest female... barbaric, I know, but it's how we live." Gaara was smooth, and confident. It showed in his posture, and in the way he spoke. It seemed to have a desirable effect on the man sitting across from him.

"This is actually a lot more than expected, almost too much! Tell me you have some fortunes left over to care for my daughter!" Kizashi laughed, his mauve hair shaking as he hawed.

"But of course, I may not look the type but I am well educated. I have enough gold and furs to cover anything we need. I was actually quite shocked at how profitable the fur trade was, I had so many of them lying around I should have sold them ages ago." The redhead smiled genuinely, and it seemed that everything was going extremely well.

However, Sakura knew how stubborn her father was-

"How can I say no? I believe I can trust you to take good care of her. You're obviously a smart boy with a good head on your shoulders, handsome too. I only wish the best for both of you!"

The pinkette's mouth dropped in complete and utter shock. She could hear her mother behind her giggling with some sort of strange glee, and for the longest time she didn't even register the two men who were now staring at her.

"Sakura? Come over here, girl! Gaara has just asked for your hand in marriage, and we have come to a profitable agreement." Kizashi waved to his daughter, and she felt she couldn't move. Suddenly her mother was pushing at her back, and her steps began moving forward against her will.

'I'm going to... marry... a wolf?' Her thoughts jumbled about as she was moved to stand right in front of her now fiance. The redhead stood with a smirk, took her hand, and kissed it gently in front of everyone in the room.

"You seem shocked. I'm sorry, I should have talked with you before I sat down with your father..." Gaara murmured softly to her, but it could definitely be picked up by the other two in the room.

"Oh nonsense! This is such a wonderful surprise!" Mebuki clapped giddily before tugging on her husband's sleeve. "Let's leave them be for a moment, you can run down to the tavern and make an announcement while I go to see father Iruka."

Suddenly her parents were all smiles, off in a flurry, and she was left standing there alone in a room with the wolf who had paid for her.

She didn't know whether to feel insulted, complimented, bitter, or loved. It was a strange feeling in not having even an opinion on whether you may want to marry someone, even though she didn't mind the idea of marrying Gaara at all.

"Are you... unhappy?" The redhead brushed some pink strands behind her ear, and she flinched as a result.

"Why did you do this?" Sakura's brow furrowed, and she knew she was about to start something that would lead to an ugly finish.

"Because I want you to belong to me-"

"That's the wrong answer." The pinkette instantly soured, not caring that her attitude was infectious.

"What is your problem?" Gaara growled, his feral side was beginning to show.

"My problem is that you simply want to have me for selfish reasons. You don't actually love me, or care about my wellbeing-!"

"I care greatly about your wellbeing! When a wolf mates they mate for life unless the mate dies! I plan on mating for life!" The redhead tapped against his own heart, as if he were confessing his love in his own twisted way. "I didn't kill you! I wanted to continue this, do you understand?! The first time I let you go was my eternal vow!"

Suddenly his customs were becoming very clear to her. Why he chose to kill anyone he slept with, and how him sparing her was essentially the building blocks for something much bigger for him. He had decided to stop the cycle, and take a permanent mate.

He wasn't going to be killing people anymore. As long as he had her there would be no more deaths.

"Forgive me. I didn't understand." Sakura bowed to him, and felt the room go completely silent. His body was tense at her respectful motion, as if he had never recieved such treatment in his life. "I'm sorry, Gaara."

She straightened, and watched as a few strange emotions crossed his features. It finally settled on dissapointment, and he turned his back to her with his hand to his eyes.

"I wanted you to be happy about this... you don't seem happy at all-"

"I am... I'm just in shock is all. I never thought I would be getting married after... everything we've..." Sakura flushed at the thought that she would be at his beck and call day and night. It was a wife's duty to keep her husband satisfied in the bedroom, and now she would have to fill those very large shoes.

Porcelain hands were wrapping around her waist, pulling her in close.

"You don't have to feel guilty anymore, I know that plagued you. Now you can have me, and enjoy me as you see fit." Gaara took her face in his palms, and leaned down to kiss her passionately. It left her gasping, and he took advantage of such opportunities.

He was always so quick to go in for the kill, any opening was one that he would snatch up right away.

However, her mind was racing over her current fate. Where did he live? Would she have to live in a cave? Could she even bare him any children-?

"Where have you gone, my dear? Come back to me..." The back of his fingernails felt strangely smooth down her cheek, waking her up to two coal rimmed eyes staring at her. She blinked, and fidgeted much to his dissapointment. "My words are beginning to lose there effect on you... however I suppose it was only a matter of time-"

"I'm sorry... what did you just say?" Sakura's brows furrowed in confusion, but a strange sense of anxiety filled her as he pulled her even closer.

"You're not a stupid girl, but you allowed me to walk with you in the woods, learn your secrets, and you fell to my whims. I'm sure you had asked yourself 'why' at least once, correct? Wondering how you could be tamed so easily by me..." His larger porcelain hand gripped around her neck, but didn't squeeze. He merely rubbed his thumb along her jugular as her eyes went wild.

"My kind... we can hypnotize with our words and our touch. The way we move, the lights reflecting off our eyes, even our scent... everything makes us enticing. The 'wolf in sheeps clothing' is a real thing, you believe you are safe until I sink my fangs into your delicious flesh. You are still enraptured up until the final breath, and then that look of fear glints off of your beautiful eyes-"

"LET GO OF ME!" Out of panic her hand reared up, slapping him hard across the face. It took them both by surprise, but more so the victim of her outburst.

At first it was merely shock in his expression, but then something behind his eyes changed. Something was burning beneath the surface. It was feral, and it was frightening beyond belief.

"That energy... it keeps you so interesting." Although his eyes were threatening his words were not, to anyone else it might have sounded flirtatious at best.

"It's why I kept you, and why you'll be mated to me. No one has ever had the guts to ever challenge me, and yet you with your weak little girlish form have decided that you want to fight back. It makes me so excited, I could just howl-"

"I'll expose you! I'll tell them all what you really are-!" She screamed.

"-And then I'll tell the villagers how you gave yourself to me not just once, but twice. At least I have the decency to marry you after the fact. I could have just killed you." Gaara gave a dark chuckle, then played gently with the ends of her pink locks. "I've never been married before. Hell, I had never kissed a human before you."

The pinkette shivered for a moment, her thoughts racing on whether or not she should run. However, her curiosity was piqued when he stated he had never kissed anyone before.

"How have you... not kissed anyone?" As she asked his haunting cyan eyes locked onto her own. She wondered if he might be trying to 'hypnotize' her again.

"It's a loving thing that humans do, is it not? Wolves don't focus on mouths, there's no point. You simply fuck, and then perhaps you lay next to each other, but that is all. There is no such thing as 'romance' in the animal world, only instinct." The redhead's voice started to grow softer, and his eyes were beginning to match.

He looked truly human then.

"Sakura... you kissed me first. I did not push you to do such a thing, yet you have done it twice. The first time had me confused, as I had never felt so alive in my entire life. Even the thrill of a good chase had nothing on the kiss you placed upon my lips that night. It made me want to try being a human for once..." Gaara spoke just above a whisper, his lids lowering in a dreamy way.

His strange flip flopping between two worlds had her afraid, but it also had her so intrigued. She knew she wasn't being sucked in by him now, instead she was plunging deeper by herself.

"So I followed you, and you intrigued me. You kissed me again, and I became a lowly dog begging for whatever affection you can give. I kissed you back, and I was tamed by your witchcraft-" The redhead's patience broke, his lips descended onto hers desperately while his hands pawed at her trembling frame.

It was deep, it was frantic, and possessive. Yet in the same breath it was also loving, and deeply personal. It was like she could read his thoughts, and feel his emotions. She hummed despite her initial discomfort, and clung to him almost out of necessity. Something outside of their control was at work here; something incredibly powerful.

Sakura broke the kiss to breathe, but couldn't move her face away as his hands held her firmly in place.

"So we are both mystical in our own way, I am not the only one with power here..." Gaara breathed heavily, as if his heart was racing too fast for his lungs to catch up. "I am your slave... and you are my master-"

"I don't want that..." The pinkette trembled, her legs felt weak underneath her weight. She watched carefully as he shook his head.

"Neither do I, but I made the mistake of chasing after such perfect prey. I am... lost now. You're all that I desire anymore." The redhead kissed along her cheek, and down her throat while his hands roamed. "I shall devour you every night... and I only ask that you return my affections, my precious bride."

Sakura let him kiss her, and grope at her as he pleased, but she didn't return the 'love' that he desperately craved. Her thoughts had decided to quit on her completely.

'What happens now?'

\- ... - ... - ... - ... -

The village was in an uproar over how the 'mountain dweller' paid a great sum for her hand in marriage, and while her girlfriends seemed excited about the fact Sakura found herself wandering about town in a daze.

When asked about the betrothal, she would simply smile and answer in the least conspicuous way possible. Gaara had left to go back to the woods for the time being saying work had to be done, and that left her alone to come up with all the tall tales.

She had decided that she needed to see Tsunade, and ask for her advice on the matter.

The pinkette trekked through the forest, climbing up steep hills littered in thick tree roots. Sweat broke out along her brow, and a poor choice of footing had her falling. She grabbed hold of a branch just in time, but not before a sharp stick snapped up her skirt, and scratched open her thigh.

"Shit!" Sakura cursed as a bit of blood trickled down onto her stocking, but the wound wasn't serious enough to bandage. She simply trekked on, knowing she could wash the wound later.

Not too long after that, the pinkette had finally made it back to the small cottage, and barely knocked before inviting herself in.

The hearth was dead, no candles were lit despite the curtains being drawn. There was a sense of foreboding there that had her worried, but then she heard harsh coughing in the next room.

With a sigh of relief she closed the door behind her, and went about lighting up a fresh fire. The coughing grew louder, concerning her over her teacher's welfare.

"Lady Tsunade? Are you ill?" Sakura made her way to the bedroom to find it darkened, but saw a bundle in the bed shifting. The figure had draped itself in blankets before entering the bed. "Lady Tsunade-?"

The figure coughed, and waved a hand at her. The pinkette breathed another sigh of relief, and closed that door behind her as well. The room was eerily dark, but there was at least one candle lit.

"Would you like some tea?" Sakura asked, and Tsunade coughed.

"No... but I am cold. Please..." Her voice was incredibly hoarse, and deep, but that was to be expected when one had been coughing so much. The pinkette scoffed a little though, and padded her way over to the bed.

"I understand, milady. I'll lay next to you until you are a bit warmer. Sound good?" Sakura chided gently, and even with her back turned she could see that Tsunade was nodding.

The pinkette slipped in, and only stopped to quickly blow out the candle before snuggling down. It was pitch black in the room now, but she felt comfortable next to Tsunade. She pressed her back to the other woman's, and took a deep breath before relaxing.

Her teacher moved, rolling over to hold the younger girl close. At first Sakura laughed, but then noticed how the older woman's body was not plush like it should have been.

The chest felt hard, and warning bells began to ring like mad in her head, but there was only one other person who had been to Tsunade's house before...

"Well, that's funny, I don't remember Tsunade having a six pack... or a penis for that matter-"

The figure behind her started snickering, forcing her to groan out of irritation. Large hands smoothed along her frame, and she reached back and up to clench her fingers in the person's hair.

Shorter, spikey, and thick. Of course it was him.

"You think you're so smart don't you, Gaara?" The pinkette said it sardonically, and the man answered by palming at her chest. She hummed, but then elbowed him for the inconvenience. "Knock it off, I'm mad at you-"

"Why?" He whispered, his lips ghosting along her neck. She shivered at the sensation, then took a sharp breath as his fingers traced up her thigh.

"You made me think Tsunade was sick just so you could get me into bed, but you know I probably would have let you do whatever you wanted without the trickery-"

"No you wouldn't." He whispered again, then smoothed his hand over her bloomers. She shivered with delight, but a question was hanging around in her head.

"And why do you say that?" Sakura turned around in his arms, reaching up to wrap her own around his neck. With a breathless laugh he finally answered her, but held her firmly in an instant.

"Because..." He nuzzled his mouth over to her ear to speak a bit more clearly. His next words leaving her numb to the bone.

"I'm not Gaara."

**AN: Muahahaha, oh that was fun. I'm excited to write the next chapter now. Review please :) I love hearing what you guys think.**


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm not Gaara._

Sakura's stomach dropped, and her flesh went cold. It were as if time had stopped due to the utter disbelief, but as the seconds ticked on she realized that this person was telling the truth.

Her instincts finally kicked in.

The pinkette screamed, her body frantically flailed as she tried to get away from the stranger in the bed with her. Her mind didn't have time to ask questions, all she could manage to translate was 'run'.

"What's your rush, Pinky?! Stay a while!" Large hands fought with her smaller ones, in her panic she fell out of the bed and slammed onto the floor.

"STAY AWAY!" Sakura shrieked in fear, her heartbeat pounding hard in her ears as she attempted to scramble to her feet.

The unseen man attacked, but her adrenaline was thrumming fast enough for her to push him off of her violently. She knew the room well enough to get to the door, and open it, but as soon as light flooded her eyes she felt her form get body slammed back to the ground.

He had her pinned, and for a moment her heart stopped when she took in the man's appearance.

"Wow, you really are a pretty one aren't you? I guess my baby brother wasn't an idiot to keep you alive after all." The brunette man with a similar look to Gaara flashed a sharp feral grin. His hair was just as jagged, but his facial structure was different as well as his dark eyes and present eyebrows. "He should have eaten you when he had the chance, because now I get the delicious pleasure of doing so-"

The pinkette felt rage rise up in her suddenly, willing her to spit in the wolf's face. The saliva forced him to close an eye while it dripped down his cheek, and he seemed utterly shocked by the act.

"You're name is Kankuro, right? If you take even one bite Gaara will rip out your throat!" Sakura snarled then, making the brunette blink even more in surprise.

His face began to morph, but it wasn't the anger that startled her. It was his dark maniacal laughter.

"You think he'll choose a little bitch like you over me?! You've got another thing coming-!"

"Gaara loves me!" The pinkette shouted with as much volume as she could, but the older brother simply broke out into a harder laugh.

"Love!? You can't be serious! He's just playing with his food..." Kankuro's eyes turned dark then, sizing up the girl underneath him shamelessly. "I don't blame him though, you're feisty... and real cute for a human girl. It's a shame, I bet you're even prettier without the dress-"

"GET OFF OF ME!" Sakura bellowed, and moved her head over to bite down hard on his arm.

The brunette yelped out in pain, snatching back his hand. With her right arm free she threw a punch towards him, clocking him square in the jaw. His other hand retreated to hold his face, allowing the pinkette to escape long enough to make a run for the front door.

She opened it enough to see light outside before it was slammed shut. She looked up to see him snarling at her, holding the door firmly.

"You're so fucking dead!" Kankuro growled, shoving her against the door by her neck. With her last bit of strength she clawed at his face, leaving three bloody scratches on his cheek. "BITCH!"

Her world flew past her eyes as she was thrown across the room, her body hit the floor with a sickening thud before rolling even further. Every inch of her ached horribly, her empty lungs tried breathing in painful breaths leaving her coughing and sputtering.

Blood was on the floor, and she knew it was oozing from her mouth.

"I don't like beating up girls, but you're something else..." She could hear him stomping over to her threateningly, and her entire body curled in on itself. "I'm only just getting started!"

Sakura could practically feel him hovering over her with the intent to harm, and with her body so weak all she could do was cry.

"Gaara... please help me-"

A strong hand clamped harshly in her pink locks right as the front door opened. Everything halted as the squeaky hinges swung open forebodingly, but the pinkette was grateful for whatever distraction just came walking through that door.

The man behind her stopped breathing.

"Kankuro." The familiar voice hissed, and while it would have scared anyone else Sakura found it to be a heavenly choir. She was so relieved that all she could do was begin sobbing desperately. The hand in her hair loosened immediately, and the brunette began shifting.

"Get away from her." Gaara warned.

"Why are you hogging this one all to yourself?! What's so fucking special about her-?!"

"NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS, GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER! NOW!" The deep, awful tone that came out of the redhead was frightening beyond belief. It was so bellowing that it even had her jumping in fear. However, the next sounds she heard were too feral to be human, so she turned herself to see the commotion behind her.

Two wolves were now in Tsunade's living room, snarling and snapping at each other. One was a dark shade of brown, almost purplish in color. The other had a beautiful sesame red coat, but the kanji scar remained on its forehead. They lunged for each other, sending both fur and blood flying as they sank their teeth into each other's necks.

To Sakura it reminded her of a dog fight, and for some reason her heart clenched at the scene. Before she knew it she was looking around frantically until she came across a large bucket of water. It was freezing cold, and she knew just what to do with it.

The wolves were snarling, snapping, and growling. Blood was on the floor, and occasionally an awful yelp was heard. Not being able to take it anymore she threw the contents of the bucket at them, and they both quickly scrambled in shock from the water.

"STOP FIGHTING!" Sakura screamed, and the two wolves snapped their heads in her direction. They shivered from the cold, and the adrenaline, but stayed in their feral forms. When Kankuro began to growl slightly she quickly threw the bucket at him, missing him by an inch as the metal clanged loudly against the floor. The wolf jumped, whimpering as he trotted off to a corner to hide and lick his wounds.

Gaara, however, gave a huff. He shook himself violently spraying water and blood everywhere before walking calmly over to the now well burning fire, but the pinkette didn't fail to notice a slight limp to his proud step.

Time stood still as all three caught their breaths, calming down until even their huffs were quiet. It seemed that the action had ended for the day.

With a relieved sigh Sakura looked about herself, finding different herbs laying around to make a good salve. She decided leaving the two wolves to their own thoughts was probably best rather than checking on them.

She went to work, and ignored them for the most part. Even as she walked past Kankuro to pick up the metal pail she had thrown earlier the pinkette had refused to make eye contact. She refused to forget what he did, but she also had no desire to reprimand him as Gaara had already put his brother through the wringer. She almost felt sorry for the bleeding beast; 'almost' being the key word here.

Sakura had gathered fresh water, checked the traps outside to find one good sized rabbit ensnared, and proceeded to quickly break its neck. It made her feel awful, but they needed food for the evening and the rabbit would have to do despite its cuteness. A few mushrooms, and herbs were gathered as well making promising ingredients for a good stew.

She came back with everything in hand, finding the wolves hadn't moved an inch.

'Good, stay there. I'm done with the drama.' The pinkette gave a tired sigh as she walked past the two, but didn't fail to notice how they perked up at the sight of the rabbit. She felt eyes on her... very hungry eyes.

"If you boys want a small snack before dinner, I have some jerky here." Sakura called out to them, and almost instantly heard claws tapping away on wood as they both trotted over.

With the jerky in hand she found Kankuro standing, excitedly wagging his tail while Gaara took a calm seated position, but his interest showed in how he panted.

'This is so strange...' The pinkette snorted for a moment, thinking about how they would look if they were acting this way in their human forms. She tossed a piece to Gaara, and with great finesse he caught the meat with his teeth.

Kankuro barked, his impatience startling her yet also making her laugh.

"Aw, whose hungry? Are you hungry? Want some jerky?" Sakura waved the dried meat, and watched as the brown wolf did a quick circle before barking excitedly. She knelt down with her hand outstretched, watching curiously as Kankuro happily ate out of her hand.

The redhead seemed to be dumbfounded, and it showed even in his wolf form.

"Whose a good boy? You want another one?" The pinkette giggled as the brown wolf placed his paws on her, and once again began barking much like a dog. She had forgotten that he had actually hurt her earlier, and gave him a pat on the head before feeding him another piece.

Something brushed behind her, and she looked up to see the more familiar human form of Gaara staring down at her while he helped himself to his own jerky.

'What the... when did he change back-?"

"Kankuro, you're a disgrace." The redhead was so sour that she actually scoffed at him.

"Don't be rude, Gaara. He's actually being nice now- aren't you, Kankuro? Whose a good pup?" Sakura turned back to Kankuro to feed him again, and despite the insults he remained rather stupidly happy like a real dog. As he smacked away at the dried meat she went about scruffing up his fur while also checking him for injuries.

"You're treating him like a dog-" Gaara snipped.

"Well, he's acting like one. I'd rather do this with him than have him try to eat me." At that moment the brown wolf rolled onto his back, presenting his stomach to her. "Ah! Belly rubs?! Cute~!"

"You can't be serious-!" The redhead balked at her as she began rubbing Kankuro's belly, the brown wolf thoroughly enjoying all the attention. "Kankuro, stop it!"

Kankuro barked at Gaara, and the latter shook his head in disbelief.

"I am not jealous-!"

"Alright, that's enough." Sakura finished her petting session with the brown wolf, and turned towards her fiance. "Would you like a belly rub too?"

The redhead glared at her outright, and she assumed that was the only answer he was willing to give. Well, she could play that game better than he could.

"Well, I guess that's a no. What a shame, I thought you would enjoy a good petting..." The pinkette feigned disappointment, and went back to preparing her stew. She could feel his eyes on her back staring holes through her body. "Your fur looks so soft too, I bet the cuddles are just so amazing-"

"Cuddles?" Gaara murmured for a moment while she gave a dreamy sigh.

"Yes, I was hoping you might cuddle with me tonight. I could pet your fur, hold you against me-"

"And the price is belly rubs?" The redhead grumbled, leaving Sakura a bit dumbfounded that he might actually be considering it. He was so disgusted before, perhaps it really was jealousy that was causing him to be bitter.

"I'm not sure, but it doesn't hurt to act sweet. You'll catch more flies with honey." The pinkette left it at that, and went about skinning the rabbit on the counter.

She removed the skin flawlessly, as rabbit skin was one of the easiest to remove out of most game. She cut off the head, and the feet, then made the proper cuts along the inside of the chest and between the legs. The innards came out in one pull, with the knife following along in case of anything sticking to the meaty cage.

"I didn't know that you could dress game..." Gaara was suddenly hovering over the pinkette's shoulder, making her laugh in both surprise and pride.

"My father took me hunting as a child, and forced me to field dress my own game. He didn't have a son, but he wanted to teach his child how to do it regardless-"

"Your father is a smart man, and a great hunter. I was impressed by his skill when we hunted with Nara family the other day..." The redhead seemed pleased, casually taking the knife from her to cut away the liver from the rabbit's pile of innards.

"No, wait-!" Sakura snatched the organ away to look it over thoroughly, not failing to notice his irritation behind her. She ignored it to turn the bloody organ around in her fingers carefully. "I have to check for spotting, it tells you if the rabbit is good for eating or not-"

"Heh, I wont get sick." Gaara snatched it from her fingers then plopped the organ into his mouth, causing the pinkette to gag slightly at the thought of it being uncooked.

"You may not, but I can. The meat could carry illnesses that could kill me, so I had to check to make sure the rabbit wasn't sick..." Luckily Sakura had found no spotting before he so rudely took it away from her, and in knowing she was in the clear she began quartering the game.

There was silence for a moment, but then two strong arms wrapped around her center protectively. Her knife stilled as they held her tight.

"Forgive me, my dear. I forgot how weak your kind is when it comes to illness." Gaara nuzzled his face against her shoulder, causing her initial anxiety to fade into a relaxed state. She continued her work.

"It's why we have to cook all of our food as well... so... you'll have to get used to that if you're going to live with me-"

"Your cooking is good, so I do not mind." The redhead breathed deeply, taking in her scent with a sigh. "If it means that you'll be in good health then I will eat whatever you place in front of me."

Sakura's heart fluttered at that. She knew how much his kind loved freshly slain game, and to think that she could cook all of the food for both of them meant a great deal to her.

She was beginning to not mind the idea of spending her days with a wolf as her husband. If he could remain this kind to her, then she found it to be an promising union.

"You're leaving the pack?" Kankuro's voice cut into the sweet moment like a knife, and she felt Gaara stiffen behind her.

"Yes." The redhead answered, pulling away from her much to her dissapointment. He wandered over to the chairs seated next to the fire to join his brother while she finished preparing the meat for cooking.

"Why?! Are you casting away your life as a wolf-?!" The brunette sounded thoroughly distressed.

"I can't just become human at the drop of a hat, so no, unfortunately I won't he able to stop being a wolf. However, I no longer wish to continue living like one." Gaara sat himself in a chair adjacent to his dishevelled brother with a long sigh. "I am going to have a human marriage, and raise a human family with this woman. We'll live out here in the forest, but will still have our ties to our families. We shall be the merging point-"

"BUT YOU CAN'T! THIS IS BLASPHEMY-!"

"Kankuro, our kind is dead." The redhead interjected solemnly, silencing the room with the fact. It left nothing but the sound of Sakura's knife cutting away at the meat and bone on her cutting board.

'What does he mean by that? Are they... the last ones alive?' Her mind raced as she threw the bald bones into a boiling pot with some root vegetables. She turned around at that point to see Kankuro looking as if he were on the verge of tears.

"Tem... Temari is female..." The brunette swallowed hard, but his brother began to snarl at him.

"We will not inbreed from the sake of continuing our race. Get that shit out of your mind this instant." Gaara nearly hissed, gripping into his chair as if the furniture were holding him back from attacking his kin.

While it was a disgusting concept she wondered just what would have to be done if her race were on its last leg. Would she lay with a sibling to continue her kind? It was a disturbing thought, and she couldn't imagine what the other two were thinking at the moment.

"If Temari were to have a child from both of us we might be able to continue our line-" Kankuro murmured, but recieved a harsh growl for his trouble.

"Kankuro, ENOUGH!" Gaara shouted, making his brother shrink into his chair for a moment, but Sakura felt a strong need to speak up.

"Gaara... it's not unheard of for animals to do this if they are the last ones of their kind." The pinkette felt the energy in the air go dark as she spoke, but she tried her best to ignore it as she approached the two. "If I was the last woman, and if I had a brother who was the last man then I would have to highly consider it to continue my race. If I couldn't move somewhere to find more of my kind then it would have to become an option."

"I will not do it. I refuse to have in inbred spawn." Gaara hissed, and while she agreed with him she also let out a sigh.

"I understand, but do not be mad at Kankuro for weighing out the option." Sakura almost whispered, gaining a surprised look from the brunette as she stood up for him.

The silence in the room was palpable, but her thoughts raced over how they could possibly fix the issue.

"Perhaps we could all travel, and see if we could find another male and female for your siblings. Then their children could mate without another added risk of severely hurting the bloodline in direct inbreeding-"

"Good luck, we have already tried." The redhead answered with a snip, but she whipped her head in his direction with a frown.

"Then keep trying. Don't give up just because you haven't found anything yet." The pinkette stared hard at him with challenging eyes, and while his matched at first eventually his scowl faded away into a smirk.

"And would you have me participate as well, I wonder? Seeing as you are to become my wife-"

"If it has to come to that then yes, I would let you stray for the future of your race." Sakura answered proudly, gaining shocked looks from both of the feral men. She turned away, and went back to her cooking.

The silence continued, leaving nothing but the crackling of the fire and the gentle sound of food prep.

\- ... - ... - ... -

Dinner was quiet, all conversations had seemed to die the second they reached anyone's lips. Occasionally there was a nice compliment about the flavor of the stew to which Sakura would blush and smile, but that was all that would really transpire between the three.

It wasn't until the pinkette began cleaning up did another conversation take place.

"Temari... she was expecting you to take her as a mate." Kankuro murmured to Gaara, making the energy in the room drop instantly. "You'll need to explain it to her."

"So your both set on inbreeding with each other, hmm? Where the fuck is your pride-?"

"Our pride is continuing our race! Where the hell do you get off anyways?! You're planning on breeding with a filthy human!" The brunette stood abruptly, knocking his chair to the floor behind him while he shouted. "You're the gutless one here, Gaara! Not us-!"

"Forgive me if I'd rather let my kind die out than become a laughing stock among the other races. Tell Temari that it is over, I am not coming back." The redhead snapped, leaving his brother completely speechless.

For a moment it looked like Kankuro might shout back at his brother, but then his shaking rage forced him to stomp towards the front door.

"Kankuro-" Sakura went to go after him, but before she could take two steps he was already gone, slamming the door behind him.

The remaining two took in the fresh silence for a long time, their eyes glued to the surfaces around them rather than each other.

It was then that the pinkette grew curious, and many questions decided to flow past her lips.

"Gaara, what happened to the rest of your people?" Sakura pressed gently, noting the shifting that occurred beside her. Her eyes glanced to the side, finding her fiance with his full attention on the dying fire. His eyes were narrowed, and his lips a tight line. It were as if he didn't want to tell her.

"A long time ago we coincided with man, and were called by many names. Lycans, skinwalkers, shapeshifters, werewolves... those were terms your people used for us. However, we find it a bit derogatory as we prefer to be considered as wolves only. Just as fox shifters would prefer to be called 'foxes', cats are cats, bears are bears, etcetera. We are not all the same." Gaara turned his eyes to the ceiling with a deep breath while his naked brows furrowed.

"I don't know when we couldn't live with humans anymore, but I've heard that in ancient times we were able to live side by side. If it were still true today my family would probably have mates of their own, maybe even choosing to live in houses rather than caves."

As the redhead spoke she found herself entranced, finding her way to the seat next to him by the dying embers. He didn't look at her, but his demeanor was relaxed enough to know that her presence wasn't bothering him.

"So... humans took over your land?" She asked gently, and he nodded.

"Yes, and they slaughtered us. Ever since I was born I have watched my family be picked off by human hunters. Usually the mountaineers rather than the villagers. The mountain dwellers are not as peaceful, and they fight selfishly in order to survive. While I can use a weapon well enough it is against our customs to do so. We have been equipped with our own naturally, so to add a gun or a sword to our natural arsenal would disgrace us. That pride is what has us dying."

Gaara leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, leering into the small flames.

"We let your people kill us. Had I been in charge sooner I feel this would not have happened, I am not afraid to shoot a rifle or wield a weapon. I would have had us make our mark again on this cruel world-"

"So instead you decided to hunt defenseless humans, and find pleasure in it." The pinkette added coldly, earning his unreadable gaze in an instant.

"Yes. I found pleasure in killing your people, but now all I feel from it is emptiness. It only served to hinder our growth... my growth." The redhead stayed locked on her, his eyes reflecting the remaining light in an inhuman way. "I wonder if you'd rather I didn't exist, so that those lives would still walk this planet. Do you wish such things?"

Sakura balked at the question, and shook her head before she could even formulate an answer with her mind.

"I like you, Gaara. I don't think I could ever desire such a thing as your death." The pinkette felt a piece of her heart break, and reached carefully for his hand. She held it tightly, and watched as his pale fingers clasped with her creamy ones.

"You're the kindest human I have ever met, in fact I'm certain that you must not be human at all. Perhaps an angel..." Gaara sighed, closing his eyes to rest his head against the chair. She watched him breathe calmly, and felt her heart clench with each beautiful breath.

"I told Kankuro that you loved me... I apologize for that." Sakura stared at their hands, not noticing his eyes opening to stare at her. "When he attacked me... I told him that you loved me, and that you would hurt him if he tried anything. I don't know if that's true... and I'm sorry for making up lies."

The fire popped, and the dying log crumbled into burning embers. She saw him shift in his chair to face her fully, his upper half leaning towards her while she continued to not make eye contact.

"I don't know what love feels like, but... I enjoy being around you. Even now I want to kiss you, even though kisses are not something my kind partakes in. You have introduced me to many things... things that make my heart race." The redhead grabbed her chin with his free hand, forcing her to look into his ghostly orbs. Their haunting gaze entranced her almost instantly.

"I want your affection, attention, presence, happiness, and energy. I want to provide for you in ways that a male does for his female companion... yet I want more than this too. It is... deeper... this need. I wonder if it is love, or if I am even capable of such a thing. I want to be capable... I want to love." Gaara moved in close, ghosting his lips along her own with anticipation as well as hesitation. "I want you... to love me..."

The pinkette trembled, feeling as if she might be lost in the deepest forest. She could feel him searching for her, and her hands instinctively reached out.

"Could you love me, Sakura?" The redhead murmured against her mouth, his slow breath flaying against her skin. She shivered from every sensation, and nodded despite not giving it second thought.

His kiss came quickly, and did not spare any ounce of passion. His hands were pulling on her own, urging her to come to his chair. She knew what he wanted, and quickly moved over him while shifting out of her undergarments. He helped her release one leg, and in her impatience she straddled herself on his lap.

Buckles were loosened, her skirt was hiked up, and her body quickly made itself one with his own. With her arms locked around his strong shoulders she took him deeply, no longer strained by the feeling of him inside her. In fact, she reveled in every inch of him that rocked through her core.

"You're so fearless now..." Gaara panted huskily, a feral grin creeping across his features. "Is it that you are comfortable with this? Or perhaps you merely desire it so deeply that no act is too disgraceful-"

"It's neither." Sakura answered, her body moving of it's own accord while she savored the feel of his strong muscles along her tender front. "I want you to have me... I want to be yours..."

The embers popped again, and the chair creaked from the strain of their bodies undulating against each other. The silence was strange at first, but then a low growl alerted her. His fingers clawed against her clothed frame, gripping desperately in able to hold her as close as possible. An almost strangled sound came from him before he huffed and panted again.

"I shall claim you then... my dearest..." The redhead's voice rasped before his lips made longing contact with her own. She kissed him deeply, and with a hunger that only he could satisfy. Her core pulsed in pleasure, leaving her breathless yet whimpering against him. They clung to each other in the dying light, moving out of instinct yet also out of need for each other, acting on a level that exceeded anything they had experienced between them before.

This wasn't lust, it wasn't passion; it was companionship. A need for each other in a near spiritual way, something only they could understand.

Gaara moved damp strands of pink hair from her eyes, moaning a hairswidth away from her lips as he kept his eyes focused on her own. The cyan orbs glowed in the light of the dying embers, leaving her speechless.

Sakura's brows stitched sweetly as she gave a bittersweet cry, feeling her heart flutter as he gave a shy smile towards it. Her form overflowed, her heart pounded as she became deaf with the pleasure he gave her. She didn't know if she was screaming or not, but her body arched in a way that his arm wrapped around her waist to keep her upright. She could feel his other hand running along the center of her chest, up to her trembling throat, and back down to her heart in a comforting way. Spots began appearing in her vision, and the intense burning overtook her to the point that she felt her world begin to spin. She wondered if she might faint soon...

Gaara's voice rang sweetly in her ears as his own climax invaded him. This time, however, he did not pull away. Warmth filled her further, leaving her humming and gasping as she felt him pulse inside of her. His hand gripped greedily along her frame, desperate for her tender affections as he finished. She obliged, running her fingertips through his damp red locks as he bucked a few more times in her slick heat.

The pinkette trembled, ghosting her lips across his own as he spacily tried to kiss her in return. The small pecks eventually led to long lazy kisses, complimented by gentle touches. Her tongue slid softly with his, savoring his taste while her world continued to spin a dreamy haze.

"Gaara..." Sakura whispered against his smooth lips, taking in another selfish kiss that he did not mind giving away. He tugged gently at her lip with his teeth, then went right back into kissing her needily.

The pinkette no longer needed Tsunade's advice. She knew that it was too late for her, and that this wolf had already cut out her heart, and swallowed it whole.

Sakura decided that she wanted him to have her, and that she wanted to have him as well. She would happily marry the wolf.

**AN: Sorry this took so long, I had some home renovations and a lot of cosplays to do. Let me know what you think! Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Warning, smut right off the bat.**

Sakura felt something stirring behind her. This form was almost hot to the touch, and gripping around her frame desperately as it whimpered. She could see that the room was barely lit, a slowly brightening sky had made everything just barely visible.

Another whimper startled her, and so she turned around in her spot to view who was causing the noise.

Gaara seemed to be having a nightmare. He was covered in sweat, and had a twisted look on his face.

"Oh Gaara..." The pinkette moved some of his wet bangs out of his eyes, and traced the kanji character on his forehead.

It was indented, scarred into the thin flesh. She wondered why he had it, but then again it was just another trait she had found intriguing about him. Perhaps it was best that she not ask him, at least not when he was in a poor mood.

The redhead looked to be in pain, and kicked at the sheets with a growl while his fingers started to claw at her. Ignoring the discomfort she turned towards him, and cupped his face lovingly in her hands.

"It's okay, my love. I'm here... it's just us now." Sakura placed a kiss on his forehead, and ran her hands soothingly down his back. He relaxed in her hold, and similar to a dog he gave a huff before nuzzling under her chin.

"Sakura..." Gaara whispered sleepily, making her heart pound strongly in her chest.

'He can recognize me... even in his dreams...' The thought warmed her more than anything. To be in ones subconscious was such a powerful thing.

"It was just a nightmare, go back to sleep." She kissed his forehead again, but it only seemed to wake him up more.

With a light growl he pulled himself up to kiss her mouth, and his grumpy efforts had her giggling against his lips.

"Knock it off, and go back to sleep." The pinkette snickered, turning away from him in the hope that he would desist.

He didn't, of course, but she also expected that too.

"But my dream was terrible... I need you to make me feel better." He purred somewhat sleepily in her ear, and reached for her nightgown.

Sakura squirmed in his grasp, but felt her heart pounding as he lifted the hem over her bare hips. She usually didn't wear underwear to bed, so this was in his favor.

He was so quick about adjusting himself that it left her a bit astonished. She felt him rubbing along her sex, as if asking for entry. She couldn't find it in her to say 'no', and instead arched her back so that he could enter her easily from behind.

"I knew you wanted it... my sweet girl..." The redhead spoke huskily, and started forcing himself past her entrance.

The pinkette whimpered, and squirmed. He filled her slowly, and bit teasingly along her neck. When she arched further he filled her completely with a relieved groan, and started his sinful motions.

"Gaara..." Sakura whined, and he answered by reaching around to touch between her thighs.

She cried out excitedly, and his free hand groped firmly at her breast while the other slid wonderfully against her folds. He rocked into her harder, and she liked it so much that she would arch back to quicken their pace.

All the sensations climbed over each other, washing her in a red light that left her sinful and impure. She moved back as he moved forward, shortening the distance it took to fill her. Coupled with his hand she couldn't stop herself from whining loudly from the relentless pleasures.

"I can feel you around me... begging me to stay inside you..." Gaara panted with exertion and excitement, but kept a steady pace all the same. "You keep getting tighter-"

The pinkette mewled, and huffed heavy breaths as the fingers on her sensitive pearl finally started to hit her hard. She cried out loudly, pressing herself further onto his length.

Everything finished as quickly as it had started. Her body went through the motions of crying out his name, and clenching tightly around him. Once she had climaxed her body was roughly turned onto her back, and he hovered above her before settling back between her legs.

"Forgive me, but I enjoy watching you." The redhead narrowed his eyes knowingly, and began arching into her like a well oiled machine.

Her legs wrapped eagerly around him, and his lips descended to kiss her as they worked together seamlessly. His hands found hers, lacing their fingers while he pinned them down to the mattress. She whined a hairsbreadth away from his lips, and even though he had smiled a longing groan also escaped him.

"Sakura..." He moaned, and began to shiver while his naked brows stitched together.

Sakura arched her hips up to take him deeper, and when his pace quickened she found herself reaching another climax.

They we're matching each other move for move, breath for breath, and every cry seemed synchronized. As her walls clamped down he crossed the edge with her, and pulsed beyond her folds with a harsh groan.

"Sakura..." Gaara breathed her name, then placed a chaste kiss to her trembling lips. "My Sakura..."

His head dipped low to rest in the crook of her neck. He let himself weigh on her, but she didn't mind the fact that he was heavy. If anything it made her feel protected, and strangely complete while she wrapped her loving arms around him.

She wasn't expecting for them both to fall back asleep.

\- ... - ... -

"What on earth?!"

At the sound of her teacher's voice she jolted awake. Her eyes went straight to the doorway where the blonde woman stood with a few satchels of herbs and goods.

The satchels dropped to the ground, and the blonde woman began to start shaking with what seemed to be rage.

"I leave for one bloody night, and you swoop in on my student-!" Tsunade stormed over to the bed with her fists at the ready, and the pinkette didn't have to look behind to know that he was still in bed with her.

"Tsunade wait!" Sakura put her hands out in front of her desperately, and thankfully the ferocious woman stopped to hear her out. "We're getting married!"

The blonde blinked wildly, and her mouth went slightly agape as she looked between the two.

"How-?"

"Gaara had a dowry saved up. He hunts, and trades fur." The pinkette explained the basics, as now would not be the best time to bring up the fact that he was a 'wolf'.

Tsunade continued to gape, but then eventually put her fists down at her sides. She took a few calming breaths before straightening to her normal dominant demeanor.

"You had better be grateful that it was me who caught you, and not your father. You know he visits just as much as you do." The blonde huffed, and turned her back on the two lovers to pick up her satchels. "Get your asses dressed, and I want those sheets scrubbed!"

"Yes milady." Sakura hung her head, embarassed that she had gotten caught red handed with her 'fiance', in her teacher's bed no less.

A warm hand was on her shoulder then, and as she looked back expecting to see a comforting smile she only saw a devilish smirk where one should have been.

"You have quite a bit of scrubbing to do-"

"YOU'RE HELPING!" The pinkette hissed, and pushed out from his grasp. He laughed as she gathered all of the bedding, and he made himself decent in the mean time.

She watched him get dressed into his hunting clothes, feeling her heart flutter over how much he looked like a normal yet very attractive man. As he tucked his shirt into his high waisted pants he finally noticed her eyes staring at him. He slowed his pace in dressing, taking his time in buttoning up his vest, and donning his socks.

Sakura scoffed at his cockiness, going back to her original task, but still couldn't help herself from peeking at him. He caught her every time, and each time he did she managed to huff while turning away.

"I know you want to go another round..." Gaara murmured softly, and she blushed as a result.

The pinkette picked up a pillow, and as she threw it at him he dodged it with the grace of a cat. With a fanged smile he left the room, and she hollered after him to come back and help her.

He apparently had better things to do, and she decided that if he was going to ditch out on chores than she wasn't going to give in the next time he wanted sex from her. He could wait until after they got married for all she cared.

Sakura had gotten dressed, and brought all of the old bedding out to the river, and scrubbed the linens down thoroughly. She rinsed, and hung them out to dry outside of her teacher's home before re-entering.

Only, her teacher seemed to be sitting in front of the fire staring curiously at the burning logs.

"Is everything alright, milady?" The pinkette wandered over to her side, and pulled up a chair next to her.

"There's something about him that I can't put my finger on, and it's suspicious that he could come up with money in such a short amount of time when he originally seemed threadbare." The blonde glared into the flames, waiting for her student to divulge further on a secret she was obviously keeping.

Sakura was scared, she had already made her decision, but she felt her teacher may object. Yet she also could not lie to the woman even if her life depended on it.

She decided to be as honest and blunt as possible.

"He's... he's a wolf."

As the words echoed around the room everything seemed to go painfully silent, even the fire sounded quieter than usual.

"A wolf." Tsunade repeated the word, and turned back to stare down her student.

Sakura was expecting confusion, humor, or even disbelief, but instead she got concern. The woman brought her hand up to her eyes to massage her eyebrows.

"What the hell have you done? Are you insane?" The blonde dropped her hand to glare at her student, and the pinkette instantly shrunk from it.

It was apparent that Tsunade knew well enough about the shape-shifting wolves. Skinwalkers, lycans, werewolves... Sakura had initially been skeptical about it, but it seemed that her teacher had already discovered their existence long before this moment.

How she knew about their existence was the current question in the pinkette's mind.

"Do you have any idea what he could do to you? What his pack could do?! I don't think you understand the amount of danger you are in-!"

"He... loves me." The pinkette looked to the floor, and swallowed hard as a lump of anxiety formed in her throat.

She could hear the woman before her laughing darkly, before giving a disgusted scoff.

"Those creatures can't love, Sakura. It's impossible for them-"

"It is not! Gaara loves me as much as his pack! He wants to try to be human!" Sakura didn't realize it until the words were spewing out of her that she was hysterically crying. Her body was shaking with anger, and tears over the fact that her teacher didn't believe her. "Even if he didn't, I still care for him-!"

"And that is what makes you a fool, Sakura. He will kill you in the end." Tsunade stood up from her chair, and stormed over to her kitchen without a second glance at her student. "I will make a potion... it will make him forget at least a month's worth of time-"

"YOU WILL NOT!" The pinkette stood up so abruptly from her chair that it fell over backwards from the force. "You will not do it, Tsunade! I won't let you-!"

"Listen here, you stupid girl!" The blonde turned around and stormed towards her student with her entire form twitching. "He is going to kill you, and eat you! Those creatures are monsters, and they need to be put down-!"

"YOU'RE THE MONSTER HERE, NOT HIM!" Sakura screamed.

What she wasn't expecting was to get slapped across the face, and with some weight behind it too.

The pinkette looked at the floor noticing that the front doorway was still open from when she had entered earlier, only there was a silhouette on the ground leading towards it.

She looked up somehow knowing it was him, and her eyes narrowed with tears as she saw him standing there shaking with what she could only know to be rage.

"Milady... I'm sorry. I know you want to protect me..." Sakura straightened to see her teacher looking with a cautious gaze at the door, her fists at the ready to take him on.

The pinkette looked back at him, proud that he was leaving this issue to her, but still standing by in case she needed him.

It was then she knew for certain. It was then that she knew she could fight the world if it came to that.

"I'm sorry, but I am in love with Gaara." Sakura smiled sadly towards him, and his expression seemed to falter in that moment.

His lips parted, and his demeanor went slack with disbelief. He seemed to want to run to her, but couldn't move a muscle. So she decided to walk towards the door instead, and kept her gate confident.

"We're getting married soon... I hope you'll come to the wedding-"

"I hope he dies before then." Tsunade spat, and the pinkette felt her heart shatter right as she reached his side.

He must have seen it, because he instantly pulled her into an embrace that left her shaking with tears. She watched as his eyes lifted from her to glare at the woman behind her.

"I made a terrible mistake." He said, but still held his fiancee tighter. "I thought you were different, Tsunade, but you really are one of them. An ignorant human that can't see a solution to an age old problem staring them in the face."

Sakura clung to him desperately, and started to cry knowing just how furious her teacher was about to become, but he continued despite her fears.

"I may be a wolf, but I have the strength to admit it, and to admit that I want what's best for my kind. We're not soulless, or heartless like you think we are. We have hopes, dreams, and feelings just as much as humans do." The redhead looked to the girl in his arms before turning back with his challenging gaze. "I'm starting a new pack with Sakura as my mate, and our lives will be better because of our union-"

"Oh what pack!? She can't even get pregnant with your kind! It's unheard of!" Tsunade snapped back, and the grating sound of her voice had her pupil clinging further to the wolf.

"We'll keep trying, and if it never happens then I guess I was never meant to spawn anything. Our bloodline can die with me, and my siblings." Gaara huffed, and started tugging on Sakura to get her to follow him. She did a bit reluctantly, but eventually she fell right into step with him. "Let's go, Sakura. This 'witch' isn't worth your tears."

Despite him saying the opposite, she couldn't contain the pain from etching onto her face. The tears rolled down her cheeks in fat drops, and she sobbed openly while he held her to his side to comfort her.

She prayed that Tsunade would be kind, and tell no one of Gaara's true identity.

\- ... - ... -

He had guided her slowly through the forest for a long time, an hour or so had passed before he finally decided to scoop up her shaking form, and carry her the rest of the way to wherever he planned to lead them. Sakura nestled into his arms, growing comfortable in their strong hold. She stayed like this silently for a long time.

"I want to show you my home." The redhead murmured gently, and she raised up her head to look at him only to see his eyes gazing off into the distance. "We never bring humans to the den. It has been a rule for many generations, and I am about to break it just to prove how much you mean to me."

Her heart skipped a beat, and her eyes began to fill up once more. Only this time they were happy tears.

"It is the least I can do for the girl who claims she loves a wolf... if you truly do love me you will accept anything you find there... yes?" Once he asked it of her she didn't wait long to nod in agreement, regardless of the fact that it could be filled with horrors; they were horrors past and nothing more. "You don't mind living like a wolf for the day?"

"As long as I'm allowed to cook my food then sure, I don't mind." The pinkette laughed, and quickly wiped away some tears that had formed at the corner of her eyes.

He set her back down carefully onto her feet, but proceeded to pull her in close. His porcelain hand removed her creamy fingers away from her eyes so that her last tear could drop onto her cheek. He stared at it in wonder, tilting up her chin so that the tear could sparkle in the daylight.

Sakura's wet lashes fluttered under his penetrating stare. His irises were haunting, and she felt as if her soul was being sucked into them.

"You humans cry so much... but you do it because you feel so strongly..." Gaara watched as the tear rolled down her jaw and throat, his eyes narrowing with a longing that she couldn't understand. "You feel so strongly for me, and wolves rarely feel anything other than our instinct. To eat, sleep, breed, and find comfort from our pack. Humans are different... humans empathize, and love. It is beautiful-"

"You have those feelings too..." The pinkette turned her eyes away bashfully, but was forced back to look further into his feral gaze.

"I feel such things... because you make it so..." The redhead spoke in a breathless murmur, and his cyan orbs began darting to her lips. The action only made him seem hungrier as he licked and gently bit at his own mouth. "You make me feel alive when I had already believed that I was living, but all this time I was simply getting by."

Sakura felt herself begin to grow dizzy from his piercing stare, and his smooth words only made her heart pound harder. He dipped his head down to give a long lick of his tongue along the tear stained trail going from her throat to her cheek, his hair blocking out the light in a red shadow. She whimpered at the strange affection, but it didn't frighten her.

"Your heart is beautiful, my dear." Gaara whispered against her wetted cheek, and she soon felt his hands gripping firmly at her frame to pull her to his chest. "I can't wait to have you all to myself... my delicate blossom."

He held her in a tight embrace, his arms wrapped perfectly around her waist while his chin rested down on her shoulder. She could hear him breathe in the scent of her hair, and sigh once the smell filled him completely. Her feminine arms wrapped around his body as well, hesitantly at first, but the motion grew tighter with time.

He continued to breathe in her scent, and she felt like she was melting into him-

"Gaara."

His name being spoken so sternly startled the pair, and she felt him tense before looking up with a bitter expression. She turned in his arms to see a young blonde woman in mens clothes staring back at them, her eyes just as stern as his were.

"What is that thing doing here?" The woman approached, her four ponytails bouncing slightly as she closed the distance. "Humans aren't allowed, take that trash back where you found it-"

"Shut up, Temari." The redhead hissed venomously, clearly her colorful terms for his human lover were not appreciated.

"It's against the rules-!"

"And who makes those rules? You?! I think not." Gaara snapped at her with a sharp bark, baring his teeth.

Sakura looked between the two, but chose to remain silent due to the precariousness of the situation. One wrong move could have her in hot water.

"I won't let you soil our father's home with her stinking filth!" Temari's tone went into a low yet feral growl, but her brother seemed to be unphased.

"Father is dead, it's no longer his home."

Something about his words had the woman cracking, and right before Sakura's eyes she watched the woman transform into a golden wolf. The beast made to lunge at the pinkette, but was instantly blocked by a strong swing of Gaara's arm. The backhanded action sent the blonde wolf flying, and the animal whimpered with great pain as she went into a long roll across the stone and root covered ground.

"STOP IT!" Sakura shrieked when the redhead went to take a step towards the now disoriented wolf. She grabbed tightly onto the arm holding a clenched fist, and desperately clung to it. "Stop it, Gaara! I don't want you to fight your sister!... We can leave... Just stop..."

Gaara said nothing, he simply stood proudly in one spot while huffing heated breaths through his nose. His feral gaze stayed trained on the injured wolf who was stumbling to get to her feet.

The pinkette couldn't handle the sight, and slipped away from him to go aid the animal. However, as she got closer the beast snapped and growled causing her to stop in her tracks.

The wolf changed back into the human woman she saw before, and although she looked roughed up her gaze still remained hateful and judging.

"I'm sorry that happened... I'm not trying to invade your space. I'm just trying to help." Sakura reached a hand forward as a gesture of friendliness only to have it violently slapped away.

"Don't touch me!" Temari snarled, and stumbled awkwardly to her feet. "I hope they burn you to death, disgusting witch. I don't know what spell you've placed my brother under, but he is strong! He will break out of it-!"

"The only one who has been coaxed into this union is her, not me." Gaara piped in, his smirk dark and smug as he continued.

"I was going to eat her at first, but I realized quickly that she was different from the others. A true beauty; she has a unique courage unlike the other humans we've come across, and she understands the pain of every living creature; enemies included. I knew I had to have her, and I will admit to using my gifts to bind her to me. She is pack now, and you will show her respect."

He walked forward to grab hold of the pinkette's shoulder, and at the sensation of his touch she relaxed.

"She's... not one of us-" Temari began to say, but the redhead shook his head at her.

"Temari... our bloodline is finished. There are no wolves left except our family. The best we can do is coexist with the humans, and live among them as people. It is the only way-"

"I refuse! I won't abandon my life as wolf-!"

"THEN YOU WILL DIE AS A WOLF!" Gaara snapped at her, and the tone he used would put any smart person in their place.

The blonde seemed to shake as she held back tears, and oddly enough he looked away from her with a guilty expression.

"I shall be building a home for all of us to comfortably live located here in the forest, not far from the human village. If you don't want to freeze or starve this winter you will abandon this ridiculous crusade. Learn to humble yourself, or your idiotic pride will have you bleeding out alone in the bitter cold with no one there to mourn your passing."

The redhead was harsh in his words, and firm in his actions. His grip went onto Sakura's wrist, and it pulled harshly in the direction he wished her to go. She stumbled for a moment, and as he passed his sister he made it a point to brush shoulders with her roughly before continuing on.

The pinkette couldn't believe how cold he was to his siblings, and how angry he was in this moment. This topic always ruffled his fur in a horrible way, and while she didn't appreciate his behavior she also felt that she couldn't approach him on the matter yet.

'In time... I'll let him cool off first before I approach the subject.'

There were many things that needed to be discussed, and that included the fact that he admitted to "seducing" her to the point of swaying her opinion of him. She didn't know if she was in control anymore, and that fact frightened her more than she thought it would.

**AN: hey guys, sorry for the long wait. I've been doing a lot of stuff, and also dealing with Covid like everyone else lmao. Hope you can forgive me. I've got other fictions written out too that I'd like to post. Hopefully soon. Take care, and review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

A cave near a small waterfall was a bit unexpected, but Gaara claimed it was an easy shelter with fresh water for the pack. Upon entering the dark stone cavern she expected it to be as cold as it was outside, but was pleasantly surprised by how warm it became the further in she got.

She expected spiderwebs, bones, rotting carcasses, but instead was greeted with leaves and plush furs. Fox furs, mink furs, badger, raccoon, skunk, bear, deer skins, and even downy feathers scattered throughout. The entire cave seemed to be just one big bedding-

"We do not eat here, we eat outside unless it is too far below freezing. However, even on those rare occasions we do not leave scraps around for other predators or varmints to catch whiff of. It's just not smart." The redhead gave her a knowing smirk, clearly reading her curious gaze as she looked around.

"The location, however, is smart. The water washes out our smell, and is fresh from the fall. It also keeps it so no one can hear us while we are here, but we know the sound variations well enough that we can sense an intruder. That, and although there is only one exit that also means there is only one entrance. No one can sneak up on us while we sleep."

Her thoughts started to drift to the sound of his voice, and the sounds of the water falling outside. It was getting surprisingly warmer in here, and she eyed the bedding with a great desire to be comfortable.

"You should rest." Suddenly his voice was behind her, and his warm hands were placed delicately around her neck. His thumbs stroked along her jaw while his long fingers cupped her throat and chin. "I have plans for us tonight. The moon is getting to be full, and the days ahead will not be easy for you."

"Hn?" Sakura hummed in question, feeling completely relaxed under his touch.

"As the moon grows full my appetite becomes insatiable, my dear. I predict that we will play many games that require chasing, you'll need the strength for your legs." Gaara practically purred, and nuzzled his mouth over her ear. "Instead of killing humans I've decided to 'hunt' you to curb my hunger pains. You are the most delectable treat, how can I resist not taking advantage of this fortuitous timing?"

The pinkette breathed deeply into her chest, and he answered the natural movement by abandoning one hand on her neck in favor grasping at her breast. She whimpered at the tight grip, and squirmed much to his delight.

"Yes, your flesh is the only one I should like to sink my teeth into.-"

"Gaara... wait..." Sakura turned her head lazily to the side to look into his eyes, but their haunting glow had her nearly forgetting her initial thought-

'He's hypnotizing you! Snap out of it!'

The pinkette blinked, and then narrowed her gaze at him. As her expression changed he seemed to realize the tables had turned, and took a step away from her out of suspicion.

"I don't like the way you are looking at me." The redhead huffed, and she worsened her leer to make a point.

"You know why you're recieving it." Sakura crossed her arms then, and stood her ground proudly. "Why are you still doing that-?"

"Doing what?"

"Hypnotizing me!" The pinkette barked, and surprisingly she got a rapid blink for her trouble before his face flushed red in the cheeks.

"I just wanted to..." Gaara practically pouted, and turned his entire body to avoid looking at her.

She couldn't believe the childishness of it all. He had been caught red handed, and although he didn't deny it he didn't try to justify it either.

"Why do it if you know it's wrong, and you know it will upset me-?!"

"How is mating upsetting? You never seemed to mind it before! In fact, I'm fairly certain that you crave it because of me!" The redhead plopped onto the ground in a cross legged position, and glared at the fluffy bedding around himself. "You're just overreacting."

"EXCUSE me?!" The snap was instantaneous, and as she watched him bristle she almost felt like holding back.

Almost.

"It's those human emotions you have. They make you irrational-" Before he could continue his sentence she was already storming past him. "W-where are you going?"

She could hear the sudden worry in his tone, but she was too angry to care.

"Home, clearly I can't be taken seriously because of my 'irrational human emotions'. I can't believe you would try to feed me such bullshit." Sakura hissed, and made her way out of the mouth of the cave.

She honestly thought he would leave her to stomp off, or get mad at her and yell, but what he actually did was beyond her comprehension.

Suddenly her body was being tugged around, and manhandled until she was draped over his shoulder like a rag doll. She shrieked, kicked, and punched at him for being so rough with her, but despite all of her efforts she was carried back into the cave.

Her world spun as she was whipped down unceremoniously on a bed of furs, and his shadow loomed over her in an instant to pin her against the soft pelts.

"By the gods, you are a stubborn bitch." Gaara growled, and for the insult she managed to get a good smack at his face much to his complete shock.

"I CALLED YOU STUBBORN, AND I DESERVE A SLAP-?!"

"YOU CALLED ME A BITCH!" The pinkette screamed inches away from his roiling features, expecting him to snarl back but recieving only more confusion in return.

"Is... that an insult?" The redhead narrowed his coal rimmed eyes to study her, and it was then that she realized he was being serious.

'His mother was technically a 'bitch'...' It was so moronic that Sakura outwardly groaned from the stupidity of it.

"In my language it doesn't mean a 'female dog' half the time... nowadays it's just an insult for a mean spirited woman-"

"Well, that slap was certainly 'mean spirited'." Gaara scoffed, and looked away from her now menacing glare. "At any rate, you really should rest. We've been traveling a lot today, and it is colder outside now so you've burned more energy. I... don't want you to get sick..."

To her shock he maneuvered off of her, and stood up with another huff. Despite his human exterior it was plain to see how wild he was. The cultural differences between them alone were staggering.

'So the sex is just a plus, he is actually worried for me.' While she still felt a bit miffed about it, she also wondered whether or not she would utilize such a talent if given the chance. A part of her said that she would, and so she couldn't blame him completely.

Yes she could break free from it if determined, but it was still a challenging thing to accept.

"Are you going to hypnotize me again-?"

"Only if you refuse to rest." The redhead rolled his eyes with a scoff, and turned away from her. "Forget it. I'll go hunt down something for you to eat-"

"You need to eat too." Sakura pressed, watching his body shift from one leg to the other.

"Oh I will, don't you worry about that." Gaara turned his face towards her, and smirked devilishly before waking away.

As his shadow disappeared outside of the cave she suddenly felt a bit wary of being here alone. What if his brother or sister came back?

'Kankuro doesn't mind you, and Temari seems to be just as cautious of you as you are towards her. You'll be fine.' The pinkette started convincing herself, and decided that she would trust them.

So she laid down in the bed of soft, warm furs, and looked through tired eyes at the sunlight shining through the waterfall at the mouth of the cave.

It was beautiful...

\- ... - ... -

She felt light scratching against her scalp, a soothing motion that left her sighing contentedly. Her hands reached out to embrace the person petting her so gently, and as she stretched one of her arms draped across someone's lap.

"Are you hungry?" He whispered gently, and she pulled on one leg so that she could anchor herself while she nuzzled her face against his thigh.

"Yes..." Sakura's voice came out small and weak, and the hand that was petting her hair trailed down her cheek.

"That's good. Dinner will be ready soon." He continued to whisper softly, running his fingers over her lips and chin. "You're... so beautiful..."

The pinkette hummed sleepily, and felt his weight shift before she felt warm lips against her own. On impulse she opened her mouth, and his tongue slipped in to taste her-

Sakura's eyes fluttered open, her instinct telling her that something was off. She broke away with a shriek, and clambered backwards to get away.

The familiar brunette snickered, and wiped his mouth with a sly grin.

"You taste nice too, and not just in the 'food' sense-"

"Damnit, Kankuro!" The pinkette picked up a pelt of fur to chuck at him, and he avoided it with ease.

"Gaara is almost done cooking for you, by the way." The brunette laughed, and motioned with his head towards the mouth of the cave. "He caught you a boar."

Sakura blushed at the fact that Gaara was actually cooking for her, as she surmised that he had never done so before. There was no need for a wolf to cook their own food, and for him to do so now meant that he truly wanted her to be healthy.

The pinkette stood up awkwardly for a moment, and straightened her dress. She didn't fail to notice how Kankuro seemed to watch her every move with a knowing smile.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Sakura huffed at him while she finger combed her hair, slowly growing more wary of this new wolf by the minute.

When he didn't answer her she truly met his gaze with a glare, but noticed a strange look to his dark eyes. They weren't ghostly like Gaara's, instead they were like two black holes that she seemed to fall into.

Dark, but every so often when he would move the light from the fire outside the cave would light up the back of his pupils with a flash, like labradorite.

"Come here, I want a closer look." The brunette demanded, and for some reason her feet refused to listen to her.

She shifted over the flush furs, slightly dragging her gate before standing a few inches away from his seated form. His eyes traced her over, and his hand reached forward to grab her own.

"Soft skin, and even softer lips. My brother is lucky to have found such a beautiful young girl to warm his bed." Kankuro purred softly while running a thumb over her milky palm, turning it skyward. "You know that, don't you? That you are beautiful?"

The pinkette couldn't break out of his gaze even as he brought a fleshy part of her palm to his fanged mouth. Even as the teeth sunk into the creamy skin she couldn't find it in her to scream.

Gaara wasn't putting his full efforts into hypnotizing her before, this was clearly different than her previous experiences.

"You taste so good..." The brunette mouthed against her skin, and sucked the blood that seemed to drip from her fresh wound. "I wonder if it would taste better from your neck-?"

Just then a porcelain hand appeared, grasping Kankuro by his brown hair with a firm yank. The elder brother winced and snarled, but quickly broke the spell he had over her.

"Kankuro, I told you she's off limits." Gaara gave a low growl as he sunk down to his brother's level, meeting him nose to nose. "You've injured her-"

"I was just playing, I wasn't going to actually put her life in danger!" The brunette barked and huffed, draining the red wolf of his patience.

The redhead pulled hard on his brother's scalp, watching with a smart smile as Kankuro yipped and winced.

"I know you wouldn't plan for that. However she's not a toy, and she's not yours. She's mine." Gaara's tone sounded strange, almost guttural.

The pinkette held her hand up to spacily examine the damage done to her. The blood oozed down her palm, and dripped off her delicate fingertips.

She kept forgetting what he was, what they were. However, in her heart she also felt as if she didn't have to keep reminding herself that she could easily become dinner, because he claimed her to be more than just something to eat. He treasured her.

"Gaara..." Sakura murmured his name in a daze, still feeling the after effects of his brother's hypnotism.

Regardless, the redhead was over in a flash to examine her wound. His porcelain hands turned over her palm to dissect the bite with his haunting gaze, and as her eyes looked at his studious ones she couldn't fail to notice the reflection of light in the back of his eyes as well.

"I apologize, Sakura. It must hurt..." Gaara's pale eyes started to glaze over the longer he stared at the wound, and his demeanor started to change. "I don't think you've ever bled this much around me."

His lips parted slightly, and as he bit at his own mouth she realized his hunger was outweighing his control.

"Did you eat?" The pinkette asked gently, and as he finally looked up at her he shook his head slowly.

Without breaking eye contact he brought her bleeding hand to his wetted lips, and placed his mouth over the wound. She felt his sharp teeth scraping the surrounding skin, his tongue lapping languidly along the bite holes, and his heated breath from his nose against her wrist. As he sucked and licked she realized that he was growing hungrier, and would occasionally nip around the wound.

One firm motion had her squeaking in pain, and he broke away with a smart grin.

"You were starting to scare, I could taste it." His coal rimmed eyes narrowed knowingly, and his hand reached up to brush some pink locks away from her cheek. "But there was something else too-"

Before he could finish his sentence she quickly took her hand away from him, and lifted her nose high.

"Well, I assume you've gotten your fill of me then." Sakura found her strength again, and walked towards the mouth of the cave. Her hand had clotted from all of his attentions, but the wound was still open and raw.

At the mouth of the cave she found a fire, and parts of what she assumed was roasted boar. Clearly only some of the animal had been cooked, as when she looked over she saw that there was a partially dissected carcass.

'So he still plans to eat it raw...' The pinkette gave a soft sigh, but knew that it was probably best for Gaara and Kankuro to eat this way. Just because she was staying the night here did not mean that they had to change their lifestyle to fit her expectations.

However, in marriage she hoped that the redhead would learn to like cooked food. The sight of a dead animal looking at you as you ate it was not appetizing to her.

"He was a stubborn one to take down. I suppose I don't blame him, dying isn't on my agenda either." Gaara appeared next to her with his brother in tow, and they both seemed pleased with themselves over the kill.

Kankuro stepped over to the dead animal first, and wore a wicked grin before squatting down next to it.

"I see you didn't want the testicals again." The brunette snickered, and as she looked at her fiance she saw that he was grimacing.

"You know I don't like them. Too chewy." The redhead wrinkled his nose as he seemed to remember previous meals.

Sakura decided that she couldn't watch them eat the poor thing, especially since they were avid about not wasting a single piece. She took a stick of roasted meat off the fire, and walked more towards the waterfall to hide herself from the feasting. She quietly ate, and luckily the water drowned out any sounds the two wolves made.

Thoughts overwhelmed her, and yet she also felt out of it. She stared off into the rushing waters as she ate her meal, not realizing how much time was passing. Their hypnotism was on her mind, the thought that both of them could control her without fail slightly frightened her. She trusted Gaara, but Kankuro was a loose canon with no real driven purpose other than to just live. If he wanted to he could force her to do anything.

But, the first time she met him he didn't pull out such stops. He merely attempted to trick her, and got a bit violent when she fought with him. So why do that tonight? Was he trying to prove a point?

"Sakura." As her name was called she nearly jumped off the rock she was sitting on, and turned to see both of the wolves staring down at her curiously.

The redhead raised a naked brow at her, but continued to smirk regardless.

"The moon is full. Come look at it." Gaara held out a hand for her to grab hold of, and with a soft nod she took it.

He pulled her onto her feet, and guided her out from behind the falls to view the moon. It seemed so much larger than usual, and had a colorful halo surrounding it. As she stared harder into the brightness it felt as if the light was screaming at her.

There was a loud hiss, and her head whipped around to find Kankuro putting out the fire. The lack of the orange glow only made the moonlight more glaring, and she felt as if she might go mad from staring at it.

"We've decided to play a game." The redhead purred, and she felt something cool get nudged into her hand. "We want to chase you... so we figured you could use this for protection."

She turned back towards him with her eyes painfully wide, and his smile only grew darker. She brought the object in her hand up to examine it, only to find that she had been given a sharp hunting knife.

"When we play like this we can sometimes go overboard. I wouldn't want to accidentally kill you." Gaara narrowed his glinting eyes, his mouth forming into a wolfish grin. "We'll give you a fifteen minute head start. So, run hard."

Porcelain hands gave her a light push, and as she backed away the two brothers stood shoulder to shoulder; their eyes shining brightly in a nocturnal way.

The pinkette started sprinting, her instincts forcing her insides to coil tightly as adrenaline fueled her. She had never seen such dark and frightening expressions on them before, but she wasn't curious enough to find out exactly why they carried them.

Shoes hit the dirt hard, and her mind started reminding her of the ways he could track her. She remembered scent, and quickly stopped to shimmy off her underwear before balling them up to throw high into a tree. Next she looked around for branches, and she grabbed a large one to trail behind her as she ran to cover her footsteps.

Running for another five minutes she came across what looked like a steaming creek. Curious by it she dipped her fingers in the stream, only to find that it was warm to the touch. She decided to follow the waters, and found that the stream led to another massive cave. Walking inside she found a steaming pool, and when she touched her fingers to it she noticed it was a little bit warmer than it was outside. Nothing too hot, and it didn't smell acidic or sulfuric either.

She heard a howl in the distance, and in her panic she jumped into the heated water. She kept her nose up just above the hot spring's surface, and hid behind a smooth rock while looking out at the mouth of the cave. She kept her knife steady, waiting for them to come for her.

She closed her eyes to listen, hearing howls and barks in the distance coming closer. At one point there was excitable barking, but they eventually faded into upset howls. Despite the incredibly warm water Sakura found herself shivering, feeling uncertainty flood into her core.

What would they do if they found her? Surely they didn't want to eat her, but their suspicious behavior had her thinking they still had something sinister in mind.

There was a howl close by, and she hid a bit closer to the large rock thinking it might protect her in some way.

There was silence, it was so incredibly quiet with the exception of running water. Her hand came up on the boulder, not thinking when her knife lightly scraped the surface. She looked at the hand as if it had betrayed her, and she found herself holding her breath while she listened.

No noise, no sounds of howls or barks, no footsteps. She gave an exhale of relief, and started to relax-

"Found you."

**AN: So I might end up going pretty crazy with this story, so just be forewarned. It's lewd to begin with, but I might just make this go even kinkier than what it already is. Tell me what you guys think in the reviews.**


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